Management of Malignant Salivary Gland Conditions

Salivary cancers are rare tumors that arise in major and minor salivary glands. Workup almost always includes fine-needle aspiration or core needle biopsy in select cases. Imaging with ultrasound, computed tomography, or MRI is also helpful, particularly with MRI to assess facial nerve involvement or skull base involvement. Preserving function of the facial nerve is of paramount importance, and the standard of care is to not sacrifice facial nerve except in instances of gross encasement and inability to dissect tumor off of the nerve. Adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy offer survival advantages for select patients.