Salivary Gland Neoplasm – A Diagnostic Approach

Salivary Gland Neoplasm in simple terms is called Salivary Gland Tumour that grows in the tissues of the salivary glands. These tumours are rare as compared to the timbers forms around the head and neck region. There are approximately 0.4 to 13.5 cases of Salivary Gland Neoplasm reported per 100,000 people.

Salivary gland tumours are mostly benign and pleomorphic adenoma is the common form of tumour that occurs in the parotid gland, the most common site for Salivary gland neoplasms. These tumours can be treated and cured with a surgery.

Symptoms of Salivary gland neoplasms:

The signs and symptoms include –

• A painless lump near or in jaw, ear, cheek, lip, neck or inside mouth.
• Numbness or weakness in a part of face
• Muscle weakness on face
• Unexplained draining of fluid from ear
• Trouble opening mouth wide
• Difficulty in swallowing
• Constant pain in the salivary gland area.

A timely treatment of salivary gland neoplasm can be cured. However, if left untreated, parotid tumours can grow out of proportion and get malignant.

Some Causes of Salivary gland neoplasms:

These neoplasms are rare and can occur when –

• Abnormal mutation –

  Some cells in the salivary glands develop mutation in their DNA. Due to mutation, the cells begin to grow rapidly and divide randomly. These mutated cells live and continue to accumulate while the healthy cells die. They attack the tissues around and form tumours.

• Radiation –

  A past cancer affecting areas of the head and neck causes exposure to radiation that might lead to a future neoplasm in the salivary gland.

Some other risk factors of salivary gland neoplasms are age and a family history of salivary gland tumour.