A 40-year-old woman presents with a painless mass anterior to her left ear. The mass had been slowly enlarging over the past year. The mass is firm and nontender. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging reveal a well-circumscribed, homogeneous mass within the left parotid gland. Biopsy reveals anastomosing strands of stellate and fusiform epithelial cells embedded in a myxoid stroma. Which of the following is a characteristic of the lesion?
Pleomorphic adenoma/ Mixed tumor. - Approximately 80% to 90% of salivary gland tumors originate in parotid gland & of these, approximately 70% are pleomorphic adenomas. - The term "mixed tumor" properly applies to this benign tumor, which often demonstrates myxoid & cailage-like elements in addition to stellate or fusiform epithelial cells. - Complete surgical resection is difficult because of tumor's proximity to facial nerve - thus, recurrence is frequent