Cystadenolymphoma of the tonsil, a rare differential diagnosis

Introduction Finding of ectopic salivary gland tissue in other organs and tissues of the head and neck is rare. Salivary gland heterotopia occurs mostly in cervical lymph nodes and extremely sporadically in various extranodal head and neck areas, where they appear clinically mostly as soft tissue masses and may also show the typical tumors of salivary glands.

Case A 60-year-old patient presented with an alio loco-diagnosed mass of the right gluteal parotid gland. In addition to the findings described above, which were confirmed sonographically as a lymph node adjacent to the gluteal parotid gland, the examination revealed a tonsillar asymmetry in favor of the right side as well as a palpatory induration. Based on the present findings, panendoscopy with tonsillectomy of the right side and extirpation of the mass were performed. Histopathologic workup of the specimens revealed reactive follicular lymphoid hyperplasia and ectopic salivary gland tissue resected in sano with a cystadenolymphoma contained therein, as well as a reactively altered lymph node.

Conclusion  The occurrence of ectopic salivary gland tissue in the tonsil area as well as the resulting tumors are a rarity, yet can be well explained by embryonic development. Considering the pathologic entity of the ectopic tissue as well as its unusual location, the possibility of such ectopias should be considered as a differential diagnosis when chronic tonsillitis is clinically suspected.

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023