Salivary glands are the glands which produce salivary. Saliva moistens the mouth to help a person chew and swallow food and it also contains enzymes that begin the breakdown of food. Moreover, it protects the body against infections.
Salivary gland cancer is mostly seen in the glands under the ears and the chin. It appears rarely in the small glands inside the mouth. Since the salivary glands contain three main type of cells, different types of cancer could be seen in them. Therefore, there isn’t any specific treatment method.
Symptoms of Salivary Gland Cancer
The only symptom is the swelling of the glands which could felt with hands. This swelling rarely cause pain ve grows in time. There is no other symptom. When you notice such a swelling on your salivary glands, you should immediately sea an otorhinolaryngologist.
Treatment of Salivary Gland Cancer
Salivary gland cancers are tend to grow outside of the glands reach the lymph nodes. After the diagnosis, the cancer should be examined whether it spreaded and the treatment process should be started. Usually, there are three methods: Radiation therapy, chemotherapy and surgical operation.
Surgery for Salivary Gland Cancer
The most significant step for salivary gland cancer is surgery after biopsy. It’s a big mistake to remove only the tumor but the surface lob of the parotid gland should also be removed. It prevents the relapse of cancer. Therefore, the tumor and the surface lob of the parotid gland should be removed together after the diagnosis. The salivary gland containing tumor should be removed completely. The tumor should be pathologically examined and the treatment ends if it’s benign. If the tumor is malign, extensive surgery should be applied such as removing the salivary gland containing the tumor, parotid gland, nearby tissues and all lymph nodes in the neck at the same time. In some cases, surgery is followed by radiation therapy.