Parotid incidentaloma detected during thoracic PET imaging: how should these lesions be managed?

Preoperative positron emission tomography (PET) scanning of three patients with lung cancer revealed increased unilateral focal activity in a parotid gland. Further investigation with ultrasound and core biopsy confirmed benign parotid neoplasm in all three cases. The phenomenon of imaging-related incidentaloma is increasingly recognized and further investigation of these lesions remains controversial. This article discusses PET incidentaloma in the parotid, why tracer uptake may occur and how these lesions may be managed with changes in patient management that ensue.