Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma of the parotid salivary gland.

Epithelioid hemangioendothelioma is a borderline neoplasm characterized by proliferation of endothelial cells with epithelioid morphology. The tumor, in terms of histology and behavior, occupies an intermediate position between hemangioma and conventional angiosarcoma. It is encountered in a wide variety of sites, such as soft tissues and skin, visceral organs, and bone. This article describes a slowly growing, painful tumor that developed in the parotid gland of a 48-year-old white woman and was treated with a superficial parotidectomy. Microscopically, the lesion consisted of short strands, cords, or small clusters of epithelioid vacuolated cells that exhibited strong immunoreactivity for endothelial cell markers (CD 31, CD 34, and factor VIII-related antigen). Previous reports have presented epithelioid hemangioendotheliomas in the head and neck region but, to our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the parotid salivary gland.