Primary chondrosarcoma arising in the parotid gland.

We report an extremely rare case of chondrosarcoma arising in the left parotid gland in a 45-year-old man who complained of painless swelling of the postauricular region. Computed tomography revealed a well-circumscribed tumor in the parotid area with a rim of scattered calcification. Under the diagnosis of benign parotid tumor, the tumor mass was removed with adequate margin. Histologic features were consistent with a low-grade chondrosarcoma showing lobular growth but clearly separated from adjacent glandular tissue of the parotid gland. Entire examination of the tumor disclosed no component of pleomorphic adenoma. There has been no evidence of recurrence for 2 months after the operation. The current case indicates that the parotid gland could be the site of occurrence of de novo primary chondrosarcoma. Copyright 2001 S. Karger AG, Basel