Parotid gland mass as the presenting symptom of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Even though metastatic tumors of the parotid gland are rarely seen, they are observed more frequently than other salivary gland metastatic masses. The reason why this gland is more frequently affected by metastatic tumors as compared to other salivary glands relies on the higher number of intraglandular and periglandular lymph nodes that the parotid gland contains. The incidence of metastatic parotid masses is relatively low compared to other head and neck neoplasms, consequently, few cases have been reported in the literature. Here, we present a patient referred to our clinic with parotid gland masses on both sides suggesting malignant neoplasm after fine needle aspiration biopsy of both sides. In this report, we aimed to draw attention to nasopharyngeal carcinoma metastasis in the differential diagnosis of parotid gland masses and to emphasize the importance of a careful endoscopic examination and magnetic resonance imaging before deciding on total parotidectomy.