Background: Due to the anatomical vicinity and lymphatic drainage network between the nasopharynx and the parotid gland, it is indispensable to differentiate a parotid mass for a patient with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC).
Methods: The present study described three cases of NPC concurrent with Warthin’s tumor from the parotid gland confirmed by fine-needle aspiration biopsy. All of them displayed hypermetabolic lesions on the PET-CT scan, with higher SUV than the primary nasopharyngeal lesions. Their clinical presentation, results of investigations, and response to treatment were also reviewed. A literature review of similar forms of the presentation was done by a MEDLINE search.
Results: After completion of chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, the reexamination of radiological images revealed that the patients experienced a complete response of NPC, with strikingly less grade 2 acute toxicity.
Conclusions: Paradoxically intense FDG uptake in Warthin’s tumor render the biopsy necessary for definitive diagnosis thus exclude metastatic disease from NPC.