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General Information About Salivary Gland Cancer
Salivary gland cancer is a rare disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in the tissues of the salivary glands.
The salivary glands make saliva and release it into the mouth. Saliva has enzymes that help digest food and antibodies that help protect against infections of the mouth and throat. There are 3 pairs of major salivary glands:
- Parotid glands: These are the largest salivary glands and are found in front of and just below each ear. Most major salivary gland tumors begin in this gland.
- Sublingual glands: These glands are found under the tongue in the floor of the mouth.
- Submandibular glands: These glands are found below the jawbone.
Anatomy of the salivary glands. The three main pairs of salivary glands are the parotid glands, the sublingual glands, and the submandibular glands.
There are also hundreds of small (minor) salivary glands lining parts of the mouth, nose, and larynx that can be seen only with a microscope. Most small salivary gland tumors begin in the palate (roof of the mouth).
More than half of all salivary gland tumors are benign (not cancerous) and do not spread to other tissues.
Salivary gland cancer is a type of head and neck cancer.
Being exposed to certain types of radiation may increase the risk of salivary gland cancer.
Anything that increases a person's chance of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Not every person with one or more of these risk factors will develop salivary gland cancer, and it can develop in people who don't have any known risk factors. Talk with your doctor if you think you may be at risk. Although the cause of most salivary gland cancers is not known, risk factors include the following:
- Older age.
- Treatment with radiation therapy to the head and neck.
- Being exposed to certain substances at work.
Signs and symptoms of salivary gland cancer include a lump or trouble swallowing.
Salivary gland cancer may not cause any symptoms. It may be found during a regular dental check-up or physical exam. Signs and symptoms may be caused by salivary gland cancer or by other conditions. Check with your doctor if you have any of the following symptoms that do not go away:
- A lump (usually painless) in the area of the ear, cheek, jaw, lip, or inside the mouth.
- Fluid draining from the ear.
- Trouble swallowing or opening the mouth widely.
- Numbness or weakness in the face.
- Pain in the face that does not go away.
Tests that examine the head, neck, and the inside of the mouth are used to diagnose salivary gland cancer.
In addition to asking about your personal and family health history and doing a physical exam, your doctor may perform the following tests and procedures:
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): A procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. This procedure is also called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI).
- CT scan (CAT scan): A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.
Computed tomography (CT) scan of the head and neck. The patient lies on a table that slides through the CT scanner, which takes x-ray pictures of the inside of the head and neck. - PET scan (positron emission tomography scan): A procedure to find malignant tumor cells in the body. A small amount of radioactive glucose (sugar) is injected into a vein. The PET scanner rotates around the body and makes a picture of where glucose is being used in the body. Malignant tumor cells show up brighter in the picture because they are more active and take up more glucose than normal cells do.
- Endoscopy: A procedure to look at organs and tissues inside the body to check for abnormal areas. For salivary gland cancer, an endoscope is inserted into the mouth to look at the mouth, throat, and larynx. An endoscope is a thin, tube-like instrument with a light and a lens for viewing.
- Biopsy: The removal of cells or tissues so they can be viewed under a microscope by a pathologist to check for signs of cancer.
- Fine needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy: The removal of tissue or fluid using a thin needle. An FNA is the most common type of biopsy used for salivary gland cancer.
- Incisional biopsy: The removal of part of a lump or a sample of tissue that doesn't look normal.
- Surgery: If cancer cannot be diagnosed from the sample of tissue removed during an FNA biopsy or an incisional biopsy, the mass may be removed and checked for signs of cancer.
Because salivary gland cancer can be hard to diagnose, patients should ask to have the tissue samples checked by a pathologist who has experience in diagnosing salivary gland cancer.
Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.
The prognosis and treatment options depend on the following:
- The stage of the cancer (especially the size of the tumor).
- The type of salivary gland the cancer is in.
- The type of cancer cells (how they look under a microscope).
- The patient's age and general health.
Stages of Salivary Gland Cancer
After salivary gland cancer has been diagnosed, tests are done to find out if cancer cells have spread within the salivary gland or to other parts of the body.
The process used to find out if cancer has spread within the salivary glands or to other parts of the body is called staging. The information gathered from the staging process determines the stage of the disease. It is important to know the stage in order to plan treatment. The following procedures may be used in the staging process:
- MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): A procedure that uses a magnet, radio waves, and a computer to make a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body. This procedure is also called nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI).
- CT scan (CAT scan): A procedure that makes a series of detailed pictures of areas inside the body, taken from different angles. The pictures are made by a computer linked to an x-ray machine. A dye may be injected into a vein or swallowed to help the organs or tissues show up more clearly. This procedure is also called computed tomography, computerized tomography, or computerized axial tomography.
Computed tomography (CT) scan of the head and neck. The patient lies on a table that slides through the CT scanner, which takes x-ray pictures of the inside of the head and neck.
There are three ways that cancer spreads in the body.
Cancer can spread through tissue, the lymph system, and the blood:
- Tissue. The cancer spreads from where it began by growing into nearby areas.
- Lymph system. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the lymph system. The cancer travels through the lymph vessels to other parts of the body.
- Blood. The cancer spreads from where it began by getting into the blood. The cancer travels through the blood vessels to other parts of the body.
Cancer may spread from where it began to other parts of the body.
When cancer spreads to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. Cancer cells break away from where they began (the primary tumor) and travel through the lymph system or blood.
- Lymph system. The cancer gets into the lymph system, travels through the lymph vessels, and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.
- Blood. The cancer gets into the blood, travels through the blood vessels, and forms a tumor (metastatic tumor) in another part of the body.
The metastatic tumor is the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if salivary gland cancer spreads to the lung, the cancer cells in the lung are actually salivary gland cancer cells. The disease is metastatic salivary gland cancer, not lung cancer.
The following stages are used for salivary gland cancers that affect the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands:
Tumor sizes are often measured in centimeters (cm) or inches. Common food items that can be used to show tumor size in cm include: a pea (1 cm), a peanut (2 cm), a grape (3 cm), a walnut (4 cm), a lime (5 cm or 2 inches), an egg (6 cm), a peach (7 cm), and a grapefruit (10 cm or 4 inches).
Stage 0 (carcinoma in situ)
In stage 0, abnormal cells are found in the lining of the salivary ducts or the small sacs that make up the salivary gland. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.
Stage I
In stage I, cancer has formed. The tumor is in the salivary gland only and is 2 centimeters or smaller.
Stage II
In stage II, the tumor is in the salivary gland only and is larger than 2 centimeters but not larger than 4 centimeters.
Stage III
In stage III, one of the following is true:
- The tumor is larger than 4 centimeters, and/or cancer has spread to soft tissue around the salivary gland; or
- The tumor is any size, and cancer may have spread to soft tissue around the salivary gland. Cancer has spread to one lymph node on the same side of the head or neck as the tumor. The lymph node is 3 centimeters or smaller, and cancer has not grown outside the lymph node.
Stage IV
Stage IV is divided into stages IVA, IVB, and IVC as follows:
- Stage IVA:
- Cancer has spread to the skin, jawbone, ear canal, and/or facial nerve. Cancer may have spread to one lymph node on the same side of the head or neck as the tumor. The lymph node is 3 centimeters or smaller, and cancer has not grown outside the lymph node; or
- The tumor is any size, and cancer may have spread to soft tissue around the salivary gland or to the skin, jawbone, ear canal, and/or facial nerve. Cancer has spread:
- to one lymph node on the same side of the head or neck as the tumor or on the side opposite the primary tumor; the lymph node is 3 centimeters or smaller, and cancer has grown outside the lymph node; or
- to one lymph node on the same side of the head or neck as the tumor; the lymph node is larger than 3 centimeters but not larger than 6 centimeters, and cancer has not grown outside the lymph node; or
- to more than one lymph node on the same side of the head or neck as the tumor; the lymph nodes are 6 centimeters or smaller, and cancer has not grown outside the lymph nodes; or
- to lymph nodes on both sides of the head or neck or on the side opposite the primary tumor; the lymph nodes are 6 centimeters or smaller, and cancer has not grown outside the lymph nodes.
- Stage IVB:
- The tumor is any size, and cancer may have spread to soft tissue around the salivary gland or to the skin, jawbone, ear canal, and/or facial nerve. Cancer has spread:
- to one lymph node larger than 6 centimeters, and cancer has not grown outside the lymph node; or
- to one lymph node on the same side of the head or neck as the tumor; the lymph node is larger than 3 centimeters, and cancer has grown outside the lymph node; or
- to more than one lymph node on the same side of the head or neck as the tumor, on the side opposite the primary tumor, or on both sides of the head or neck; cancer has grown outside any of the lymph nodes; or
- to one lymph node of any size on the side of the head or neck opposite the primary tumor; cancer has grown outside the lymph node;
or
- Cancer has spread to the bottom of the skull and/or surrounds the carotid artery. Cancer may have spread to one or more lymph nodes of any size on either or both sides of the head or neck and may have grown outside the lymph nodes.
- The tumor is any size, and cancer may have spread to soft tissue around the salivary gland or to the skin, jawbone, ear canal, and/or facial nerve. Cancer has spread:
- Stage IVC:
- Cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lungs.
Minor salivary glands are staged differently from the parotid, submandibular, and sublingual glands.
Minor salivary gland (small salivary glands lining parts of the mouth, nose, and larynx) cancers are staged according to where they were first formed, such as the oral cavity or sinuses.
Salivary gland cancer can recur (come back) after it has been treated.
The cancer may come back in the salivary glands or in other parts of the body.
Treatment Option Overview
There are different types of treatment for patients with salivary gland cancer.
Different types of treatment are available for patients with salivary gland cancer. Some treatments are standard (the currently used treatment), and some are being tested in clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may become the standard treatment. Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial. Some clinical trials are open only to patients who have not started treatment.
Patients with salivary gland cancer should have their treatment planned by a team of health care providers who are experts in treating head and neck cancer.
Treatment will be overseen by a medical oncologist, a doctor who specializes in treating cancer. Because the salivary glands help in eating and digesting food, patients may need special help adjusting to the side effects of the cancer and its treatment. The medical oncologist may refer you to other health care providers who have experience and expertise in treating patients with head and neck cancer and who specialize in certain areas of medicine. These may include the following specialists:
- Head and neck surgeon.
- Radiation oncologist.
- Dentist.
- Speech therapist.
- Dietitian.
- Psychologist.
- Rehabilitation specialist.
- Plastic surgeon.
The following types of treatment are used:
Surgery
Surgery (removing the cancer in an operation) is a common treatment for salivary gland cancer. A doctor may remove the cancer and some of the healthy tissue around the cancer. In some cases, a lymphadenectomy (surgery in which lymph nodes are removed) will also be done.
After the doctor removes all the cancer that can be seen at the time of the surgery, some patients may be given radiation therapy after surgery to kill any cancer that are left. Treatment given after the surgery, to lower the risk that the cancer will come back, is called adjuvant therapy.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing.
- External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the area of the body with cancer.
External-beam radiation therapy of the head and neck. A machine is used to aim high-energy radiation at the cancer. The machine can rotate around the patient, delivering radiation from many different angles to provide highly conformal treatment. A mesh mask helps keep the patient's head and neck from moving during treatment. Small ink marks are put on the mask. The ink marks are used to line up the radiation machine in the same position before each treatment.Special types of external radiation may be used to treat some salivary gland tumors. These include:
- Fast neutron radiation therapy: Fast neutron radiation therapy is a type of high-energy external radiation therapy. A radiation therapy machine aims neutrons (tiny, invisible particles) at the cancer cells to kill them. Fast neutron radiation therapy uses a higher-energy radiation than the x-ray type of radiation therapy. This allows the radiation therapy to be given in fewer treatments.
- Photon-beam radiation therapy: Photon-beam radiation therapy is a type of external radiation therapy that reaches deep tumors with high-energy x-rays made by a machine called a linear accelerator. This can be delivered as hyperfractionated radiation therapy, in which the total dose of radiation is divided into small doses, and the treatments are given more than once a day.
External radiation therapy is used to treat salivary gland cancer and may also be used as palliative therapy to relieve symptoms and improve quality of life.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy).
See Drugs Approved for Head and Neck Cancer for more information. (Salivary gland cancer is a type of head and neck cancer.)
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
This summary section describes treatments that are being studied in clinical trials. It may not mention every new treatment being studied. Information about clinical trials is available from the NCI website.
Radiosensitizers
Radiosensitizers are drugs that make tumor cells more sensitive to radiation therapy. Combining radiation therapy with radiosensitizers may kill more tumor cells.
Treatment for salivary gland cancer may cause side effects.
For information about side effects caused by treatment for cancer, visit our Side Effects page.
Patients may want to think about taking part in a clinical trial.
For some patients, taking part in a clinical trial may be the best treatment choice. Clinical trials are part of the cancer research process. Clinical trials are done to find out if new cancer treatments are safe and effective or better than the standard treatment.
Many of today's standard treatments for cancer are based on earlier clinical trials. Patients who take part in a clinical trial may receive the standard treatment or be among the first to receive a new treatment.
Patients who take part in clinical trials also help improve the way cancer will be treated in the future. Even when clinical trials do not lead to effective new treatments, they often answer important questions and help move research forward.
Patients can enter clinical trials before, during, or after starting their cancer treatment.
Some clinical trials only include patients who have not yet received treatment. Other trials test treatments for patients whose cancer has not gotten better. There are also clinical trials that test new ways to stop cancer from recurring (coming back) or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment.
Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the country. Information about clinical trials supported by NCI can be found on NCI's clinical trials search webpage. Clinical trials supported by other organizations can be found on the ClinicalTrials.gov website.
Follow-up tests may be needed.
As you go through treatment, you will have follow-up tests or check-ups. Some tests that were done to diagnose or stage the cancer may be repeated to see how well the treatment is working. Decisions about whether to continue, change, or stop treatment may be based on the results of these tests.
Some of the tests will continue to be done from time to time after treatment has ended. The results of these tests can show if your condition has changed or if the cancer has recurred (come back).
