Head & Neck Oncology Program
Salivary Gland Cancer
What Is Salivary Gland Cancer? | Symptoms and Diagnosis | Stages and Treatment | About Clinical Trials | Greenebaum Cancer Center
Symptoms and Diagnosis
The following symptoms may indicate a problem in the salivary glands or elsewhere in the body:
- painless and/or increasing swelling under the chin or around the jawbone
- numbness in the face
- inability to move muscles in the face
- pain in the face, chin, or neck
Most growths in the salivary glands are not cancerous and do not spread. However, a person experiencing these symptoms should see a doctor, who will closely examine the throat and neck.
The doctor may want the patient to have a computerized tomography (CT) scan or a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in order to obtain an accurate picture of the face, chin, or neck. If the doctor finds abnormal tissue in these tests, he or she may want to obtain a sample of the tissue for evaluation. A small piece of the tissue can be cut away in a procedure called a biopsy. The tissue is then examined under a microscope to see if it contains any cancer cells. A biopsy is the only way to confirm a cancer diagnosis.
The chances of recovery and choice of treatment for salivary gland cancer depend on where the cancer is situated in the glands, whether it has spread, how fast it is growing, and the patient’s overall health.
This page was last updated on: March 4, 2008.
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