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Salivary gland tumors - Symptom

Alternative Names

Tumor - salivary duct

Symptoms:

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

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 verify that there is a mass and to see if cancer has spread to lymph nodes in the neck
Salivary gland biopsy or fine needle aspiration to determine if the tumor is noncancerous (benign) or cancerous (malignant)

Head and neck glands

Reviewed last on: 3/24/2008
Stephen Grund, MD, PhD, Chief of Hematology/Oncology and Director of the George Bray Cancer Center at New Britain General Hospital, New Britain, CT. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Scianna JM, Petruzzelli GJ. Contemporary management of tumors of the salivary glands. Curr Oncol Rep. 2007;9:134-138.

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