[Primary synovial sarcoma of the parotid gland].

INTRODUCTION: Synovial sarcoma is a malignant soft tissue neoplasm which occurs most of the time in teenagers and young adults. Facial, and especially parotid gland localization, is very uncommon. CASE REPORT: A 15-year-old male patient, with no prior history, was hospitalized for swelling in the left parotid area noted 5 months before. The mass was painful and there was no facial paralysis. A CT scan revealed a tumoral process of mixed density in the left parotid gland. The thorax and abdominal CT scan was normal. The patient was initially treated by surgery and adjuvant chemotherapy. He died, 8 months after this multimodal therapy. DISCUSSION: Five percent of salivary gland primitive tumors are of mesenchymatous origin, 0.3 to 1.5% of which are sarcomas. The diagnosis of parotid gland synovial sarcoma is confirmed by immune-histochemistry and cytogenetic tests. Surgery combined to radiotherapy seems to be the best treatment.