Symptoms

Overall symptoms may include:

• Lump or swelling on or near the jaw, neck, or mouth
• Numbness in the face
• Muscle weakness on one side of the face
• Pain in the area of the gland
• Difficulty swallowing 
• Fever

Parotid and submandibular gland symptoms:

• Abnormal tastes
• Limited ability to open the mouth
• Dry mouth
• Fever
• Mouth or facial "squeezing" pain (especially when eating)
• Redness over the side of the face or the upper neck
• Swelling of the face (front of the ears, below the jaw, or on the floor of the mouth)

 

 

Type of Salivary Gland Tumors

Benign salivary gland tumors:

• Pleomorphic adenoma: A benign tumor that affects that typically grow a painless mass on one side of the face. It may grow overtime on back of the jaw or below the earlobe.
• Basal cell adenoma
• Canalicular adenoma
• Oncocytoma
• Warthin tumor 

Type of cancerous salivary gland tumors:

• Acinic cell carcinoma
• Adenocarcinoma
• Adenoid cystic carcinoma
• Clear cell carcinoma
• Malignant mixed tumor 
• Salivary duct carcinoma
• Squamous cell carcinoma

Treatment

There are different procedure options based on type of condition:

• Surgery:
  • Parotidectomy:
    • Treatment of parotid gland tumors may require surgical removal of the gland. This procedure, known as parotidectomy, is performed under general anesthesia and may require a short hospital stay as well. Depending on the size of the tumor, a partial or total parotidectomy may be performed. During a parotidectomy, an incision is made in front of the ear, similar to the incision used during a facelift. The tumor and a small margin of surrounding tissue are removed through the incision. After the parotidectomy procedure, a drainage tube will be placed at the incision site to collect blood, serum and saliva, which can usually be removed after one day.
  • Submandibular Gland Excision:
    • Surgical removal of the submandibular gland may be necessary to provide relief from tumors or chronic infection. Submandibular gland excision is performed under general anesthesia, and patients usually return home the same day. During the excision procedure, an incision is made in the neck, right under the jawbone. The entire gland is then removed from the surrounding muscles, vessels and nerves. After the submandibular gland excision procedure, a drainage tube may be placed at the site of the incision, which can then be removed the next day.
• Facial Nerve Treatment:
  • During a parotidectomy, it is important to identify the facial nerve and carefully work around it in order to reduce the risk of damage, which can result in facial paralysis or other serious complications. Facial nerve monitoring confirms the position of the nerve throughout surgery and verifies its integrity at the completion of the procedure. This provides peace of mind to both patient and surgeon, ensuring that the procedure goes smoothly and reducing the chance of post-operative complications.

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