Primary Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma involving Parotid Gland

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas constitute 25 to 40% of all lymphomas. The gastrointestinal tract is the most common site followed by the head and neck area. Salivary gland involvement is a very rare entity and is involved in 0.5 to 5% of all cases. Among all the major salivary glands, the parotid gland is commonly involved followed by the submandibular glands. Misdiagnosis often leads to unnecessary diagnostic procedures, which leads to delay in initiation of appropriate treatment. It is often difficult to diagnose the distinction between lymphoma developing primarily in the parotid gland tissue and in the intraparotid lymph nodes. As per the reports, primary tumors of the parotid gland show no characteristic features on diagnostic imaging, reflecting none of their histological findings. We represent a case of a 61-year-old female who presented with painless, gradually increasing mass in the right parotid region. Imaging studies were suggestive of an infiltrative mass lesion involving right the parotid gland. The patient underwent superficial parotidectomy along with the excision of the part of the deep lobe posterior to submandibular gland with facial nerve preservation. Histopathology of the resected specimen shows infiltrates of lymphocytes into the glandular parenchyma destroying its normal lobular organization and disrupting the normal glandular architecture.