Parotid gland metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma: case report and review of the literature.

Parotid metastasis of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is extremely rare. The current case report presents the history of a 41-year old male with the primary symptom of a right parotid gland mass who was diagnosed with NPC by histopathology in 2006 and was staged as having cT(3)N(2)M(0) disease (stage III, American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system, 2002). Histopathological examination of a partial excision of the mass on the right parotid and the neoplasm in the pharynx nasalis revealed poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. The patient received radiotherapy and concurrent chemotherapy. Grade 2 skin reaction, grade 2 oropharyngeal mucositis and grade 3 xerostomia were detected during treatment. The patient achieved a complete clinical response by 1 month after treatment. At the last follow-up in August 2009, the patient was in a good condition and living a normal life. The primary symptom of parotid gland mass in patients with NPC is commonly misdiagnosed and a pathological analysis can be considered a reliable method for confirming diagnosis.