Pleomorphic Adenoma of Ectopic Salivary Gland Tissue in the Upper Neck

Pleomorphic adenoma also known as “mixed tumor” is the most common neoplasm in major salivary glands. It is a benign tumor arises from the parotid gland in 84% of cases and represents 45% of parotid gland tumors [1]. Only 6.5% are found in the minor salivary glands [2]. Salivary gland tumors occurring in ectopic sites are rare and poorly understood; sometime we can find heterotopic tissue arising from an aberrant salivary gland in external auditory canal, nasal cavity, tongue, tonsils and neck [3]. The presence of pleomorphic adenoma in the upper neck, along the anterior border of the sternocleidomastoid muscle is extremely rare. Only five cases of ectopic mixed salivary gland tumors in the upper neck in adult patients have been reported [47]. This article describes another case of pleomorphic adenoma occurring in the upper neck followed by a literature review in order to identify the major characteristics and differential diagnosis of such a rare disease.