Three Cases of Multifocal Warthin's Tumor

Lee, Hyung Seok; Tae, Kyung; Kim, Hyun Soo; Park, Chul Won

Abstract

Warthin's tumor also known as cystadenolymphoma or adenolymphoma of the parotid gland is a unique, well defined benign neoplasm consisting of both lymphoid(mesodermal) and epithelial(ectodermal) elements. The lesion was first described by Hildebrand in 1895, then Albrecht and Arzt made it as a morphologic entity in 1910, and in 1929 Warthin reported two new cases, described their histopathology and coined the descriptive term papillary cystadenoma lymphomatosum. Warthin's tumor comprise approximately 6% to 15% of all parotid gland tumor, is the second most common benign lesion of the parotid gland. Warthin's tumor has a unique architecture combines lymphoid and epithelial tissue, a duality that raises question about its embryogenesis and histogenesis. Its clinical behavior also presents a challenge because Warthin's tumor has been reported to be bilateral, multicentric, synchronous, metachronous, and extraparotid. Therefore the authors herein present 3 cases of Warthin's tumor treated recently, one of them is bilateral lesion and the others are unilateral multicentric lesions.