Parotid gland involvement in nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
This study documents the imaging findings of parotid gland involvement in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).


METHODS
This study reviewed the film records of 1,916 patients with NPC seen over a 5 year period. There were 27 (1.4%) patients with parotid involvement. There were 27 CT and 4 MR studies, and the pattern of involvement was categorized into the following groups: (1) parotid nodal involvement; (2) parotid invasion from extracapsular cervical nodal spread; (3) direct invasion by NPC; and (4) diffusely infiltrated gland not related to (2) or (3).


RESULTS
In the subset of 27 patients, parotid nodal involvement was seen in 11 (41%) patients. Ten (37%) patients had cervical extranodal spread into the parotid gland. Three patients (11%) showed direct invasion by NPC, and another three patients (11%) showed an isolated and diffusely infiltrated parotid gland.


CONCLUSIONS
Metastatic NPC may involve parotid nodes. The parotid gland may also be involved by extracapsular spread from enlarged cervical nodes or infiltrated directly by the primary lesion in the nasopharynx.
Chong
V F
VF
Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore.
Fan
Y F
YF
D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008207:Lymphatic Metastasis; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D010306:Parotid Gland / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D010307:Parotid Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed