Intra-Parotid Recurrent Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma Following Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy: A Case Report

Abstract

Introduction: Intra-parotid metastasis refers to the spread of cancerous cells from a primary tumor to the lymph nodes within the parotid gland. To our best knowledge, we report the first described case in the literature of a patient who received IMRT for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (UCNT) without sparing the parotid gland and still experienced a recurrence. Case presentation: A 57-year-old male patient of north African origin presented with a left parotid mass that had been evolving for 6 months. He was previously diagnosed with and treated for nasopharyngeal carcinoma 2 years prior to admission, with Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT) without sparing the parotid gland, as well as chemotherapy. Medical imaging was suggestive of recurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma and metastasis due to the patient’s medical history. The patient benefited from a total parotidectomy; The histopathological analysis of the surgical specimen confirmed the presence of a poorly differentiated carcinoma (UCNT) with nodal metastasis. Conclusion: Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) holds great promise as an alternative treatment option. However, it should be reserved for specific cases with minimal lymph node involvement, and always preceded by a thorough clinical and radiological examination.