Introduction and objective:

The parotid gland lymphomas are encountered unfrequently. The objective of this study is do a retrospective systematic review of the literature on parotid MALT lymphomas, to evaluate its epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, treatment, and prognosis.

Method:

Systematic review.

Results:

28 original studies have been included (case report and case series), 10 of which included more than 25 cases. Studies showed a higher prevalence in women, according to its relationship with autoimmune diseases, Sjögren disease specifically. The studies outlined the difficulty on the differential diagnosis with other parotid diseases. Treatment varied between studies, with no specific benefit for any of them.

Discussion:

This lymphoma is a type of NHL related to chronic autoimmune inflammation in case of salivary glands localization. It presents as an asymptomatic and non-specific, slow growing mass. It is diagnosed by CT or MRI in the majority of cases. The treatment includes the association of parotidectomy and/or chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy. The 5-year survival rate is >80%.

Conclusions:

MALT salivary lymphomas are a rare entity that can be easily misdiagnosed by other common benign mases. We must suspect and don't forget this entity from the differential diagnosis diagram.

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