Salivary Gland Tumours

Salivary gland disorders can be divided into infection/inflammation or tumours.

Salivary gland growths make up 6% of all head and neck tumours. They can be benign or malignant. Salivary gland cancers are rare with an incidence of 1 in 100 000 per population per year in Singapore.

Salivary glands are divided into two groups: major and minor salivary glands.

• The major salivary glands are the parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands.
• The minor salivary glands are numerous and they are scattered throughout the upper aerodigestive tract.

Majority of salivary gland tumours grow in the parotid glands, fortunately, most of them are benign. 50% of submandibular gland growths are cancerous while 75% of sublingual and minor salivary gland tumours are cancerous.