Salivary gland tumors

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Head and neck glands

Tumor - salivary duct

• A painless swelling in one of the salivary glands (in front of the ears, under the chin, or the floor of the mouth). The size of the swelling gradually increases.
• Difficulty moving one side of the face, known as facial nerve palsy.

An examination by a health care provider or dentist shows a larger than normal salivary gland, usually one of the parotid glands.

X-rays of the salivary gland (called a ptyalogram or sialogram) may be done to look for a tumor. More often, however, CT scan or MRI is used to verify the presence of a mass and to see if cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the neck.

A salivary gland biopsy or fine needle aspiration may be performed to determine if the tumor is benign or malignant.

Review Date: 10/31/2006
Reviewed By: Rita Nanda, M.D., Department of Medicine, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.