HIV-associated benign lymphoepithelial cysts of the parotid glands confirmed by HIV-1 p24 antigen immunostaining

Approximately 1%–10% of patients with HIV infection have been reported to have salivary gland enlargement. Parotid swelling in patients with HIV is often associated with salivary gland disease, including benign lymphoepithelial cysts (BLECs). The presence of BLEC can serve as an indicator of HIV infection, and the diagnosis of HIV-associated BLEC is usually based on clinical course, HIV confirmatory blood testing, such as western blot or viral detection, and imaging studies, but not on biopsies or immunostaining. To exclude other diseases such as tuberculosis and malignant lymphoma and to further improve the diagnostic accuracy of BLEC, the detection of the HIV-1 p24 antigen by immunohistochemistry is a useful diagnostic method. We report a case of a 65-year-old Japanese man with swelling of the parotid glands and HIV-associated BLEC confirmed via HIV-1 p24 immunohistochemical staining.