Metastases to major salivary glands

Secondary neoplastic involvement of the major salivary glands, most often the parotid, can be from regional (supraclavicular) and distant (infraclavicular) primary neoplasms. Cutaneous squamous cell carcinomas and melanomas are the most frequent offenders, and their numbers dominate all statistics dealing with metastases to the salivary glands and their lymph nodes. Carcinomas of the lungs, breast, and kidneys are the most frequent infraclavicular neoplasms that metastasize to the major salivary glands, and they most often manifest a hematogenous dissemination. Supraclavicular primary disease metastasizes to the salivary glands and their lymph nodes via a more diverse manner: direct extension, lymphatic spread, or, less often, blood vascular transport.