Over a 25-year period 124 patients were admitted to St. Joseph's Hospital, Toronto with parotid neoplasms; 102 had benign and 22 had malignant lesions. Of 75 pleomorphic adenomas, 26 were enucleated and 11 of them (42%) recurred; no instances of recurrence followed parotidectomy. In 19 patients with Warthin's tumour there were no recurrences following any of the methods of excision. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma occurred in nine patients; eight tumours were of low-grade malignancy. All were treated by parotidectomy and there were no recurrences. Four patients had malignant mixed tumour--two with long-standing parotid masses; in three patients this malignant tumour occurred years after regional radiotherapy. Facial weakness was permanent in three patients after total parotidectomy. The correct treatment of parotid neoplasms is superficial parotidectomy or, for deep lobe tumours, total parotidectomy. Radiotherapy is used for unresectable or suspected residual carcinoma.