Primary basaloid squamous cell carcinoma of the parotid gland mimicking metastasis of basal cell carcinoma of the contralateral periorbital region: case report

Abstract

Basaloid squamous cell carcinoma (BSCC) in the head and neck area is extremely rare. World Health Organization defined BSCC as a high-grade variant of squamous cell carcinoma composed both of basaloid and squamous components. Due to its histologic similarity to other parotid gland malignancies it can be easily misdiagnosed. We report first case of BSCC arising from parotid gland in Europe and second in the world literature. A 72-year-old female patient was referred to the Department of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery of the Jagiellonian University in Poland due to the tumor arising from the right parotid gland. Patient had history of multiple excisions of recurrent basal cell carcinoma (BCC) of the left periorbital region. We performed total parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation. Postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) was carried out, and the patient received 70 Gy in 30 fractions on the parotid gland area due to the fact that the tumor adhered to the facial nerve trunk and branches, additionally 60 Gy on the neck area in I, II and III levels. To distinguish the tumor of the parotid gland from the possible metastasis from BCC of the left medial canthal region previous histopathological slides were also reexamined and compared with histopathological examination of removed parotid gland tumor. Histological examination confirmed a rare case of BSCC arising from the parotid gland. 14 months of the follow up did not show local recurrence or distant metastasis.