Saturday, February, 11, 2012

Salivary gland tumors

Table of Contents

Alternative Names

Tumor - salivary duct


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

Signs and tests

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

Tests may include:

  • X-rays of the salivary gland (called a ptyalogram or sialogram) to look for a tumor
  • CT scan or MRI to confirm that there is a growth, and to see if the cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the neck
  • Salivary gland biopsy or fine needle aspiration to determine whether the tumor is benign or malignant

Review Date: 02/01/2010
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Seth Schwartz, MD, MPH, Otolaryngologist, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)