title: Recurrent Parotid Carcinosarcoma in an Asymptomatic Patient.
abstract: In this article, we present the case of a 52-year-old male with a history of parotid carcinosarcoma with initial diagnosis being 18 months prior. Initial treatment included a combination of gamma knife surgery coupled with high dosage chemotherapy and X-ray radiation therapy. At the time of follow-up, the patient presented with no complaints and had a nearly normal physical exam with the exception of some facial nerve weakness on the same side as the initial surgery. Despite being asymptomatic, the patient had a significant progression of disease that was manifested with intracranial lesions, multiple pathologic fractures, and a dramatic increase in overall tumor burden. Ultimately, the patient decided to pursue comfort measures only and succumbed to the disease peacefully soon thereafter.
authors.affiliation: Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.
authors.forename: Abhishek
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mangaonkar
authors.affiliation: Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors.forename: Vamsi
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kota
keywords: head and neck cancer; oncology; radiotherapy; rare tumor