Abstract
BACKGROUND: Bilateral parotid gland tumors account for up to 3% of cases. In this group, the vast majority are Warthin's tumors. However, bilateral presentations of other parotid gland tumor entities is also possible, an example of which is a basal cell adenoma (BCA). Bilateral BCA is extremely rare, which could cause misdiagnosing it as a Warthin tumor. CASE PRESENTATION: The current study reports the unique case of a 48-year-old woman who presented with a 6-month history of slowly growing masses located bilaterally in the parotid region, surgically treated with 5-year follow-up (no recurrence, normal facial nerve function). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed three lesions: two in the superficial and deep lobes of the right parotid gland, and one in the superficial lobe of the left parotid gland. A total parotidectomy with facial nerve preservation was performed on the right side, and superficial parotidectomy on the left side 6 months later. Histopathological examination confirmed that all three tumors were BCAs. Molecular analysis didn't show any strong, potential of unknown clinical significance in the studied sample. CONCLUSIONS: Multifocal bilateral lesions of the parotid gland are usually Warthin tumors. Detailed preoperative diagnostics including MRI and histopathological examination is essential to avoid misdiagnosing BCA and Warthin tumors. To our best knowledge, no case of synchronous bilateral multifocal basal cell adenomas of the parotid gland has been reported in English literature so far.