Malignant melanoma which is an aggressive tumor with a high metastasis potential, is the second most frequent tumor that metastasize to salivary glands. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) is a simple, rapid and widely accepted method for diagnosis of salivary gland lesions.
In this case report, forty-four years old male patient who admitted to hospital due to a painless mass in the parotid gland, is presented. A FNA was performed and following cytological, histological and immunohistochemical examination of the material, the final diagnosis was malignant melanoma. Deatiled patient history revealed a malignant melanoma of head and neck region which was diagnosed two years ago.
Although rare, metastasis of malignant melanoma to salivary glands has been reported in literature. Therefore, patients with primary tumor history should be carefully evaluated for metastasis. Besides, a malignant melanoma can be found in parotid gland in patients with an unknown primary locus. A regressed tumor should also be kept in mind.