Benign cystic teratoma of the parotid gland: a case report.

Background: Mature cystic teratomas of the major salivary glands are rare. This report describes a case of a mature cystic teratoma of the left parotid gland, including the cytologic and histopathologic findings.

Case: A 17-year-old young woman presented with a slow-growing left parotid mass that had been present for 4 years. Preoperative fine needle aspiration cytology showed the presence of acinar and ductal cells, foamy cells and multinucleated giant cells. Imprint cytology of the surgical material showed the presence of some squamous cells and sebaceous gland-like cells with hair shafts. Cellular atypia was inconspicuous. Grossly, the 3-cm lesion was unicystic and embedded within the parotid gland parenchyma. Microscopically, the inner surface of the cyst was lined with keratinized squamous epithelium. The cyst wall contained skin adnexa such as sebaceous, eccrine and apocrine glands, as well as hair follicles. Some mature cartilage tissue was also detected. Foreign body granulomatous change was seen focally. No immature tissue or malignant transformation was found.

Conclusion: There is no previous report describing the cytologic findings of a mature cystic teratoma of the parotid gland. Mature cystic teratomas should therefore be considered in the differential diagnosis of a cystic lesion of the parotid