Cystic sebaceous lymphadenoma of the parotid gland: case report and review of the literature.

Sebaceous lymphadenoma (SL) of the salivary glands is a very rare, benign tumour with distinct histopathologic characteristics and uncertain histogenesis. It is almost exclusively confined to the parotid gland where it occurs generally as a slowly growing mass in elderly patients. Several imaging techniques and fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) can be used for diagnosis, but definitive diagnosis is usually established only by histopathological examination. Such lesions are composed of a varying admixture of islands, duct-like structures and cysts covered with squamous or cuboid and columnar epithelium intermingled with a background of lymphoid stroma, sometimes with lymph follicles. Accurate diagnosis of SL is important since many salivary masses in adults are malignant. We report a case of cystic sebaceous lymphadenoma of the left parotid gland surgically resected in a 70-year-old woman. Fifteen months after surgery, the patient is well, with no evidence of recurrence. Differential diagnostic problems and histogenetic considerations are provided; a comprehensive review of the literature has also been performed.