Overview
Cancer of the salivary gland is a disease in which cancer cells are found in the tissues of the salivary glands. The salivary glands make saliva, the fluid that is released into the mouth to keep it moist and to help dissolve food. Major clusters of salivary glands are found below the tongue, on the sides of the face just in front of the ears, and under the jawbone.
Smaller clusters of salivary glands are found in other parts of the upper digestive tract. The smaller glands are called the minor salivary glands. Many growths in the salivary glands do not spread to other tissues and are not cancer. These tumours are called “benign” tumours and are not usually treated the same as cancer.
A doctor should be seen if there is a swelling under the chin or around the jawbone, the face becomes numb, muscles in the face cannot move, or there is pain that does not go away in the face, chin, or neck. If there are symptoms, a doctor will examine the throat and neck using a mirror and lights.
The doctor may order a special x-ray called a computed tomography or CT scan, which uses a computer to make a picture of the inside of parts of the body. Another type of scan, called a magnetic resonance imaging or MRI scan, uses magnetic waves to make a picture of the head may also be ordered.
If tissue that is not normal is found, the doctor will need to cut out a small piece and look at it under the microscope to see if there are any cancer cells. This is called a biopsy.
The chance of recovery depends on where the cancer is in the salivary glands, whether the cancer is just in the area where it started or has spread to other tissues, how the cancer cells look under a microscope, and the patient’s general state of health. Once cancer of the salivary gland is found, more tests will be done to find out if cancer cells have spread to other parts of the body.
This is called staging. A doctor needs to know the stage of the disease to plan treatment. Salivary gland cancers are also classified by “grade,” which tells how fast the cancer cells grow, based on how the cells look under a microscope. Low-grade cancers grow more slowly than high-grade cancers.
Diagnosis And Staging
Medical tourism in India provides coordinated assistance to international patients for their low cost and safe surgical treatment in India. Many patients travel to India because of delayed appointments of expert cancer surgeons in other developed countries like the U.S. and U.K.
Indian medical treatment and health care system is more cost effective and easily accessible without any delay in medical appointments with the doctors. Patients get their salivary gland cancer surgery in India within a very short time after their arrival in India and go back home happily after their surgery.
You can see experience of many patients who have successfully been treated in India for different treatment procedures here: Patients’ Experience. Payment options available for low cost surgical treatment in India are most advanced, it includes paying money through pay-pal account, bank wire transfer apart from credit card payments, traveler’s check are also acceptable.
You can pay some money as advance before commencement of your surgical procedure and the remaining fees can be paid after completion of your surgical procedure or at the time you leave hospital.
What Patients Should Confirm
Patients should confirm the diagnosis, stage, biopsy summary, imaging reports, and whether the plan includes surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, targeted therapy, or a combination.
Before requesting a medical opinion, keep recent reports, imaging files, discharge summaries, prescriptions, and a short symptom timeline ready. This helps the specialist review the case without unnecessary back-and-forth.
Travel And Follow-Up Planning
International patients should ask about visa documents, attendant needs, estimated hospital stay, nearby accommodation, fitness-to-fly advice, and how follow-up will continue after returning home.
Forerunners Healthcare can coordinate hospital options, doctor review, appointment planning, travel support, and cost estimates while keeping the final medical decision with the treating specialist.
Care Planning Checklist
Before confirming treatment, patients should share recent reports, imaging, prescriptions, allergy details, previous discharge summaries, and a short timeline of symptoms or diagnosis. This helps the hospital team give a clearer medical opinion and a more realistic cost estimate.
Patients should also confirm the expected hospital stay, attendant needs, visa documents, airport transfers, accommodation near the hospital, payment inclusions, and what may change if extra tests or a longer stay are required.
Follow-up planning should be discussed before travel. Ask what warning signs need urgent attention, when flying is usually reviewed, how medicines or dressings will be managed, and how the treating team will coordinate after the patient returns home.
