Helios Duisburg: 7x5 centimeter tumor of the parotid gland
"I no longer need to play the lottery" - Marcel Straub's story begins seemingly inconspicuously: during a cold, his wife notices that the lymph nodes in his neck are swollen.
When this condition persists even after his recovery, a visit to the family doctor becomes unavoidable. After numerous examinations, the shocking diagnosis finally follows: a salivary gland tumor of impressive diameter, over 7x5 centimetres, has taken root at the level of the temporomandibular joint. The choice of hospital is not an easy one and after an unsatisfactory first attempt, the two of them go to the Helios St. Anna Hospital. However, the Straub family only realized the full extent of the procedure the morning before the operation when they spoke to the medical team again and were shown the MRI images. As the tumor has grown from the deep leaf of the parotid gland far into the soft tissues of the neck, close to the carotid artery, and lies beneath all branches of the facial nerve, the risk of complications is very high. The result could be permanent hemiplegia. Uncertainty and fear of the consequences of the operation dominate the family's thoughts. As a public figure and chairman of a carnival club, Marcel Straub is already imagining every possible scenario for his future.
Such a tumor often grows in the outer leaf of the parotid gland so that it can be detected externally at an early stage by a swelling. In Marcel Straub's case, however, the tumor grew deep in the neck and therefore remained undetected for a very long time. It is not possible to tell whether the tumor is benign or malignant from the examinations before the operation. The operation proceeds without complications, the tumor can be removed in its entirety and all branches of the facial nerve can be spared. Marcel Straub is relieved when he wakes up without pain and can move his face fully. However, a period of waiting and anxiety followed as the tumor was sent to the laboratory for detailed analysis. But after just a few days, the findings bring relief - Marcel Straub is healthy! It is the most common benign tumor of the parotid gland, a so-called pleomorphic adenoma. This benign tumor, which is normally spherical and has a rather firm boundary, grows extremely slowly and hardly causes any pain. However, as it could degenerate in the course of life, it must be removed.
"What we could see and feel externally in Mr. Straub was just the tip of the iceberg. In our hospital, we regularly perform operations on the parotid glands, around 110 per year. However, such large tumors, which originate from the deep leaf of the parotid gland and extend far into the parapharyngeal space, are also a rarity in our hospital. We are talking about a frequency of around one to two per year,"
– explains Dr. Florian Sack.
"This team should be awarded two medals if they lose the first one! I'm over the moon and can hardly believe that all that time has left me with just a tiny scar behind my ear. I've already been told that I shouldn't play the lottery again in this life, my luck has probably run out for the time being," says the perfectly healthy patient.
