Symptoms

People with salivary gland cancer may experience the following symptoms. Sometimes, people with salivary gland cancer do not show any of these symptoms. Or, these symptoms may be caused by a medical condition that is not cancer. If you are concerned about a symptom on this list, please talk with your doctor.

• Lump on face, neck, or mouth (usually painless)
  
  
• Numbness in the face
  
  
• Inability to move some facial muscles, especially if the face muscle on one side of the face stops moving and the area affected slowly expands (progressive facial muscle paralysis)
  
  
• Pain or swelling in the face, chin, around the jawbone, or neck
  
  
• Difference between the size and/or shape of the left and right sides of the face or neck

People who notice any of these warning signs should consult a doctor and/or dentist right away. When detected early, cancers of the head and neck have a much better chance of cure.

Because many of these symptoms can be caused by other, noncancerous health conditions as well, it is always important to receive regular health and dental screenings. This is particularly important for those people who routinely drink alcohol or use tobacco products or have used them in the past.

In fact, people who use alcohol and tobacco should receive a general screening examination at least once a year. This is a simple, quick procedure in which the doctor looks in the nose, mouth, and throat for abnormalities and feels for lumps in the neck. If anything unusual is found, the doctor will recommend a more extensive examination using one or more of the diagnostic procedures mentioned under Diagnosis.