Salivary gland cancer

Most tumours that develop in the salivary glands are non-cancerous (benign).

Salivary gland cancer is rare type of head and neck cancer. It can affect people of any age, but is more common in people aged over 50. It is more common in women than men.

Salivary gland cancers can be made up of different cell types.

We have more information on the salivary glands.

Salivary gland cancer is a rare cancer. The exact causes are not known.

Certain things (risk factors) can increase your risk of developing it. Having a risk factor does not mean you will definitely develop salivary gland cancer. And if you do not have any risk factors, it does not mean you will not get cancer.

Your risk of developing salivary gland cancer may be higher if you have had:

• radiotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma
• radiotherapy to the head and neck area as a child.

Your risk of getting salivary gland cancer increases as you get older.

We have general information about the causes and risk factors of head and neck cancer.

The results of your tests helps your doctors find out more about the size and position of the cancer and whether it has spread. This is called staging.

A doctor decides the grade of the cancer by how the cancer cells look under the microscope. This gives an idea of how quickly the cancer might grow or spread.

Knowing the stage and grade helps your doctors plan the best treatment for you.

You have regular follow-up appointments after treatment. These may continue for several years. You may also have regular follow-up appointments with a speech and language therapist (SLT), dietitian, restorative dentist and dental hygienist.

If you have any problems or notice new symptoms between appointments, let your doctor know as soon as possible.

Head and neck cancer and its treatment can sometimes affect your sex life and fertility.

If you are worried about this, it is important to talk with your doctor before you start treatment.

We have more information about:

• fertility after treatment for women
• fertility after treatment for men.

Some side effects that develop during treatment may take a long time to improve, or may sometimes become permanent. These are called long-term effects. Other effects can develop months or even years after treatment has finished. These are known as late effects. We have more information about long-term and late effects of head and neck cancer treatment.

Even if you already have a healthy lifestyle, you may choose to make some positive lifestyle changes after treatment.

Making small changes to the way you live such as eating well and keeping active can improve your health and well-being and help your body recover.

It can be difficult to eat well after treatment for head and neck cancer, but your dietitian can help you.

For some people, it takes several months to recover from treatment. It can be hard to cope if treatment has changed your appearance, voice or how you eat and drink. It is common to feel overwhelmed by different feelings.

There are national support groups that you may find helpful:

Macmillan is also here to support you. If you would like to talk, you can:

• Call the Macmillan Support Line on 0808 808 00 00.
• Chat to our specialists online.
• Visit our head and neck cancer forum to talk with people who have been affected by head and neck cancer, share your experience, and ask an expert your questions.