[Parotid gland as the main site of metastasis of the cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma of the head]

A small part of patients suffering from cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas of the head develop locoregional metastases. Those metastases are very aggressive tumors that worsen the prognosis of the patient significantly. Especially elder and immunosuppressed patients with a cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma measuring more than 1.5 cm in diameter represent the main risk group for developing parotid metastases. Thus a sonographic control of the lymph nodes of the parotid gland and the neck is required in narrow intervals in order to early detect those metastases, in particular within the first two years after diagnosis of the cutaneous carcinoma.