BACKGROUND: The skin areas that primarily drain into the parotid lymph nodes include large parts of the face, cheek, anterior surface of the auricle, temporal region, scalp and forehead. @entity5 , @entity957 and @entity320 , may therefore @entity3 to the parotid gland. It may, however, sometimes be difficult to decide whether the @entity5 is a primary or secondary @entity5 . MATERIAL AND METHODS: Twenty-six @entity1 treated for metastatic @entity5 to the parotid gland were evaluated retrospectively. The mean age of the 22 males and four female @entity1 was 70 years. RESULTS: In nine @entity1 (35%), the primary @entity5 was ignored and wrongly interpreted as a @entity5 originating in the parotid gland. The primary @entity5 was localised in the temple in six @entity1 , in the cheek in six, in the anterior surface of the outer ear in five, in the eyelids in four, in the forehead in one, in the scalp in one, and in the nasal vestibulum or nasal cavity in three @entity1 . 19 @entity1 (73%) had @entity957 and seven (27%) @entity320 . The treatment was surgery supplied by radiotherapy in 19 @entity1 . Four (21%) of the @entity1 with @entity957 and four (57%) of those with malignant @entity320 died from the disease. INTERPRETATION: When a @entity5 arises in the parotid gland, the physician should critically evaluate whether this represents a secondary @entity5 . Careful examination of the scalp and face for suspect @entity272 and scars from extirpation of previous @entity1489 can help detect the primary @entity5 .

[ XXXX to the parotid gland].

@entity1 :: ('9606', 'Species') :: ['patients'] @entity5 :: ('MESH:D009369', 'Disease') :: ['parotid tumour', 'malignant disease', 'Malignant tumours', 'tumour'] @entity1489 :: ('MESH:D012878', 'Disease') :: ['skin cancer'] @entity957 :: ('MESH:D002294', 'Disease') :: ['squamous cell carcinoma', 'squamous cell carcinomas', 'mainly squamous cell carcinomas'] @entity3 :: ('MESH:D009362', 'Disease') :: ['metastasis'] @entity272 :: ('MESH:D012871', 'Disease') :: ['skin lesions'] @entity320 :: ('MESH:D008545', 'Disease') :: ['melanoma', 'malignant melanomas']
@entity3 :: (MESH:D009362,Disease) :: ['Metastasis']
