Hemangiopericytoma of the parotid gland with a review of the literature.

Hemangiopericytoma, a rare vascular tumor characterized by pericytes, has been confused with benign lesions. The tumor cannot be identified clinically and requires histopathologic examination. Although the five year survival rate is good, the 10 year survival rate is poor for tumors in the head and neck region. Aggressive treatment with wide surgical margins appears warranted. Surgery in combination with radiotherapy has improved the poor prognosis. A case of hemangiopericytoma of the parotid gland, the eighth known in the surgical literature, is presented which illustrates the difficulty in the diagnosis and treatment of this lesion.