Metastatic renal carcinoma to the parotid gland

A case of renal carcinoma metastatic to the left parotid gland is presented. A 60-year-old male patient developed a painful mass in his left parotid region one and a half years after he had undergone a left nephrectomy operation for renal carcinoma. The mass was excised surgically. The histopathological diagnosis was metastatic renal carcinoma. From a review of the literature, it is apparent that unlike most of the cases reported, this one had a very aggressive nature. The clinical presentation of the metastasis, and the factors determining the prognosis in cases of metastatic renal carcinoma to the head and neck are discussed.