Nodular fasciitis in the submandibular gland

Nodular fasciitis (NF) is a benign, proliferative lesion of myofibroblasts. The most common site of the lesion is in the upper extremities or trunk. NF in the head and neck is next in frequency and is the most common site in infants and children. In adults, NF in the submandibular region is very rare. We report a case of a 53-year-old man with a submandibular mass, rapidly growing for 10 days. Cytologic findings revealed a few sheets or clusters of small, uniform spindle cells. The uniform spindle cells had centrally located round to ovoid nucleus, but there were no nuclear atypia and atypical mitosis. There were focally loose stroma but we could not find chondroid or myxoid components. A partial parotidectomy was performed. We describe a case of NF in the submandibular region, adjacent to the parotid gland and review the clinical, cytologic, histologic, and immunohistochemical features of NF.