Surgical precision unveils parotid lymphoma in an elderly female: a case emphasizing the role of timely excisional biopsy

Salivary gland involvement in primary non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is infrequent, accounting for 5% of all primary extra nodal NHLs and 2% of all salivary gland neoplasms. The masses of parotid gland lymphoma are indistinguishable from other benign masses of the parotid gland. Hence, it is crucial to include lymphoma as a differential diagnosis when evaluating parotid swellings and masses. This is a case of parotid lymphoma which reiterates the importance of recognizing the limitations of routine diagnostic tools in such scenarios. However, the turning point was the prompt decision to proceed with excisional biopsy, which ultimately unraveled the true nature of the lesion as grade-2 B cell lymphoma.