Management of Primary Malignant Melanoma in the Parotid Gland: A Rare Case Report with Diagnostic Challenge

Abstract

Malignant melanoma localizations in the parotid gland are uncommon and have a bad prognosis. There isn't a distinct consensus on therapeutic management yet. We stress the importance of thoroughly inspecting the entire skin recovery in front of any parotid tumor to look for any potential primary lesions. We describe a 30-year-old patient who presented with a right parotid swelling that had been developing for a year, without facial paralysis, as well as some centimeter-sized lymphadenopathy in the sub-digastric area. The patient had no apparent pathological background. Both the cervico-facial examination including the left parotid and a complete dermatological examination were unremarkable.MRI revealed the presence of a polylobed parotid mass, hypo signal in T1 and hyper signal T2 with a low ADC score. A superficial parotidectomy with lymph node excision was performed on the patient. The analysis of the surgical material suggested a malignant melanoma. Our case study is about a primary malignant melanoma of the parotid gland (PMMPG) that demonstrates the fatal evolution of this type of tumor, necessitating swift therapeutic treatment that must be the focus of a well-codified consensus.