Salivary Gland Tumors
There are two forms of salivary gland tumors, Benign and Malignant. Most salivary gland tumors are harmless — meaning , they are not cancer and won’t spread to other parts of the human body. These tumors are almost never life threatening.
Dr. Contrucci diagnoses salivary gland tumors in our office in Pembroke Pines.
There are varieties of benign salivary gland tumors, with names like adenomas, oncocytomas, Warthin tumors, and benign mixed tumors. Benign tumors are most often treated with surgery. Very rarely, they might become cancer if left untreated for a long time or if they aren’t totally removed and develop back. It’s not clear exactly how harmless tumors eventually become cancers.
Salivary gland cancers (malignant salivary gland tumors)
There are several varieties of salivary gland cancers. Normal salivary glands comprise of a number of distinct types of cells and tumors can develop within any of these cell types. Salivary gland cancers are named according to which of the cell types they resemble when seen under a microscope. The major forms of cancers are described here:
Doctors usually give salivary cancers a grade level of 1 – 3 or from low to high depending on how abnormal the cancers appear under the microscope. The grades give a general idea of how quickly the tumor(s) are likely to grow and spread.
CT and MRI are used to locate the tumors and determine their extent.
To learn more about treatment of salivary gland tumors, feel free to contact us in our Pembroke Pines office.
Residents of Pembroke Pines and surrounding areas trust Dr. Contrucci as their ENT because of his extensive experience as an otolaryngologist. Dr. Contrucci is available for evaluation of salivary glands by contacting us at (954) 437-5333.