Salivary Gland Surgery

A salivary gland tumour is a swelling caused by abnormal growth of tissue within the salivary gland or its duct.

A salivary gland cyst is a sac-like structure that is filled with fluid, air, or other material within the salivary gland or its duct.

Most of the salivary gland tumours or cysts occur in the parotid gland. These masses are usually painless, slow-growing, solitary nodules lying beneath the skin or mucosa. Cystic masses are soft while tumours are hard. Most of the masses are benign (non-cancerous) while a few may be malignant (cancerous). A cancerous mass may be painful if it invades the surrounding healthy tissue.

CT scans and MRIs may be used to identify the tumour or cyst and determine its extent. Fine-needle aspiration may be used to identify the contents of the tumour or cyst.

Treatment of a benign tumour or cyst is through surgical excision. Care is taken to ensure that the tumour or cyst is completely excised as the chance of recurrence is very high following an incomplete excision. In the case of malignant masses, radiation therapy may be required along with surgical excision.