A presentation of basal cell adenoma: a case report

Background: While statistically rare in comparison to other head and neck tumours, parotid gland swellings are often encountered in clinical practice where one of the primary goals of examination becomes distinction between benign and malignant lesions. Hallmarks of malignancy are characterized by a female preponderance, history of radiation exposure, a positive family history, and clinical features like heterogenous consistency, fixity to skin/underlying tissues and involvement of facial nerve. Case presentation: Here we present a case of parotid swelling in a 72-year old gentleman from south India that had a curious amalgamation of both benign and malignant features. Conclusions: While benign, the risk of malignant transformation and rare multicentric occurrence indicates a need to keep basal cell adenoma in mind in case of parotid swellings and their surgical management.