Cystic lymphoid hyperplasia of the parotid gland

Lymphoid infiltrates of the salivary gland can be either reactive or neoplastic. The reactive lesion, cystic lymphoid hyperplasia may be associated with Sjogren's syndrome, human immunodeficiency virus infection,or may occur as an isolated salivary gland enlargement. The authors report a case of cystic lymphoid hyperplasia without Sjogren's syndrome. The diagnosis is mainly based on histopathological and Immunohistochemical analysis. The main differential diagnosis is a low-grade mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue type lymphoma especially that patients with cystic lymphoid hyperplasia have a particularly high risk of subsequently developing lymphoma. The distinction between parotid neoplasms and reactive lesion prior to surgery is difficult, and patients presenting with benign lymphoepitheliallesions are often misdiagnosed preoperatively and receive unnecessary surgery.