Salivary Gland Tumors

Diagnosis

Physicians at Mayo Clinic have extensive experience diagnosing salivary gland tumors. To help determine the best treatment options, they use the latest diagnostic techniques to determine the stage of the tumor and the type of cells it contains.

Medical History

As a first step to diagnosing salivary tumors, physicians will conduct an in-depth interview with the patient. They collect details about when the condition first appeared and the patient's symptoms.

Physical Examination

After taking a medical history, the physician will conduct a physical examination. The doctor will feel the head and neck for lumps, swelling and areas where the patient has pain. The physician will also check the function of the facial nerves and muscles.

Imaging studies

Physicians at Mayo Clinic use high-resolution imaging studies to diagnose salivary gland tumors. These studies may include:

• X-rays generate a one-dimensional view of the head and neck or chest to help physicians locate abnormalities in the salivary glands or spread of the cancer to other parts of the body.
• CT scans generate two-dimensional images of the head and neck that may reveal whether cancer has invaded other tissues or organs.
• MRI technology uses magnetic fields and radio waves to identify small abnormalities in the head and neck in three-dimensional views. MRI scans can identify abnormalities in soft tissue and are useful to determine if cancer has spread to nerves or other organs.
• Positron emission tomography (PET) scans use radioactive materials to identify actively growing tissues, such as cancer in the salivary glands, lymph nodes and other organs of the body.

Biopsy — Before scheduling surgery, physicians at Mayo Clinic may want to examine tissue from the salivary gland tumor in a laboratory. Often they use fine-needle aspiration to gather a small sample of cells from the salivary gland. However, a biopsy is not necessary in all cases.