Warthin's tumor distribution within the parotid gland. A feasible etiologic source from lymph nodal tissue.

AIM: Warthin's tumor (WT) is the second commonest parotid gland neoplasm after pleomorphic adenoma (PA). It mainly arises from the lower pole of the superficial parotid lobe (i.e., tail of gland), a site with the greatest distribution of intra-parotid lymph nodes, and its definitive etiopathogenesis is still unclear. The aim of this study was to support the strict topic and etiologic link hypothesised between this tumor and the intraparotid lymph nodes, as being massively present in the tail, by assessing the WT distribution within the parotid gland. METHODS: Seventy-one WTs excised from 64 patients were compared retrospectively with 134 PAs from 133 patients, as controls. In all sample, st…