Salivary Gland Cancer

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Treating Salivary Gland Cancer

If you've been diagnosed with salivary gland cancer, your cancer care team will discuss your treatment options with you. It's important to weigh the benefits of each treatment option against the possible risks and side effects.

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Who treats salivary gland cancer?

Salivary gland cancers are rare, and treating them can be complex. A team approach is recommended, usually at a major cancer center. Doctors on your treatment team might include:

  • An otolaryngologist or ear, nose, and throat, or ENT doctor, a surgeon who treats certain diseases of the head and neck
  • A radiation oncologist, who treats cancer with radiation therapy
  • A medical oncologist, who treats cancer with chemotherapy and other drugs
  • A plastic surgeon, who specializes in reconstructing or repairing parts of the body
  • An oral and maxillofacial surgeon, a dental surgeon who treats diseases of the mouth, teeth, and jaws
  • A neurologist, who specializes in diseases of the brain and nervous system

Many other specialists might be involved in your care as well, including physician assistants (PAs), nurse practitioners (NPs), dentists, nurses, nutrition specialists, rehabilitation therapists, social workers, psychologists, and other health professionals.

Because these cancers are located near many critical structures in your head and neck, it’s very important to go to a cancer center that has experience treating them.

How is salivary gland cancer treated?

The treatment for salivary gland cancer might depend on the type of cancer, the location, its stage, a person’s overall health preferences, and other factors.

The main ways to treat salivary gland cancer are:

Surgery for Salivary Gland Cancer
Radiation Therapy for Salivary Gland Cancer
Chemotherapy for Salivary Gland Cancer
Targeted Drug Therapy for Salivary Gland Cancer
Immunotherapy for Salivary Gland Cancer

What can be done to improve the outlook of treatment?

Before starting treatment for salivary gland cancer, doctors might recommend tests to check your health and changes to your diet and behaviors to give you the best chance of healing after treatment.

Quit smoking before treatment

It is very important to quit smoking before any treatment for salivary gland cancer. If you quit smoking cigarettes before being diagnosed, it is important to not restart during treatment. Smoking during treatment can cause:

  • Poor wound healing, especially after surgery
  • More side effects from chemo
  • Radiation to not work as well
  • A higher chance of getting an infection
  • Longer stays in the hospital
  • A greater chance of dying

Nutrition and speech tests

Often, a nutritionist will evaluate your nutritional status before, during, and after your treatment to try and keep your weight and protein stores as normal as possible.

You might also visit a speech therapist who will test your ability to swallow and speak. They might give you exercises to do during treatment to help strengthen the muscles in the head and neck area so you can eat and talk more easily after treatment.

Dental exam before radiation or surgery treatment

If radiation therapy or certain types of surgery (for example, removal of part of the jawbone) will be part of the treatment, you'll most likely be asked to see a dentist before starting.

The dentist will help with routine dental care and dental x-rays, and might remove any bad teeth, if needed, before radiation treatment is started or surgery is done.

Radiation can damage the salivary glands and cause dry mouth. This can increase the chance of cavities, infection, and breakdown of the jawbone. The dentist might offer options to increase saliva (spit) and lower the risk of problems from dry mouth.

Treatment approaches for salivary gland cancer

The treatment options for salivary gland cancer depend largely on the type and stage (extent) of the cancer. Other factors, such as the grade of the cancer (how likely it is to grow and spread), a person’s overall health, and personal preferences, can also be important.

Since salivary gland cancers are rare and can be hard to treat, clinical trials might be a good option.

Local salivary gland tumors are located within the salivary gland. When possible, they should be removed with surgery. This might mean removing some surrounding healthy tissues, muscles, or bone to remove the tumor entirely, especially for large tumors.

In cases where a salivary gland tumor is removed but some cancer cells remain (positive margins) or the tumor was large or higher grade or stage, radiation therapy is often recommended in addition to surgery. Adenoid cystic tumors are also typically treated with radiation therapy, even after being fully removed with surgery.

For salivary gland tumors that can’t be removed with surgery, treatments with radiation or radiation and chemotherapy or other targeted drugs might be tried.

Neck dissection

The decision on whether neck dissection (surgery to look at and remove enlarged lymph nodes where cancer has spread) is needed depends on imaging tests and biopsy results.

If lymph nodes are enlarged on imaging tests or a tumor is high grade, large, in the sublingual gland, or involves the nerves, then neck dissection is often recommended.

If there are no signs on imaging tests that the lymph nodes are involved and the tumor in the salivary gland is small, lower grade, and doesn’t affect the facial nerves, then a neck dissection surgery might not be needed.

Salivary gland cancers that spread to distant sites are difficult to cure. Metastases are most likely to be found in the liver, lungs, or bones. For some people, salivary gland cancer that has spread to these areas might not cause symptoms for some time. Not all people with metastatic salivary gland cancer need treatments right away. If the cancer is growing very slowly, it might be watched and treated only if it starts to cause problems.

For people with cancer in multiple areas that is growing or symptomatic, treatments such as chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy might be options to try to slow or stop the cancer from growing.

For people with cancer in one spot or cancer that is causing symptoms, such as pain or bleeding, because of its location, treatments such as surgery or radiation therapy might be tried.

Clinical trials might offer new treatments or approaches. Talk to your doctor to see if a clinical trial might be an option for you.

Cancer is called recurrent if it comes back after treatment. Cancer can come back locally (in or near the same place it started) or distantly (spread to other parts of the body such as the lungs or liver).

If cancer returns after treatment, options depend on the location and the extent of the cancer as well as what treatment was used the first time. Clinical trials might offer new treatments or approaches. Talk to your doctor to see if a clinical trial might be an option for you.

It’s important to understand the risks and benefits and goals of further treatment – whether it’s to try to cure the cancer or to help relieve symptoms.

Local recurrence

If the cancer recurs locally and is thought to be resectable (able to be removed completely), surgery is usually the treatment of choice. After surgery, radiation might be recommended depending on how the cancer was treated when it started.

If the cancer returns locally but is not able to be removed with surgery, radiation therapy might be an option.

If neither surgery nor radiation are good options, chemotherapy, targeted drugs, or immunotherapy might be offered.

Regional recurrence

If the cancer recurs in the lymph nodes of the neck, depending on the location and how the cancer was treated when it started, surgery with or without radiation therapy might be recommended.

If the cancer can’t be removed with surgery, radiation alone might be an option.

Metastatic recurrence (distant recurrence)

Salivary gland cancers that come back in distant parts of the body are usually treated with chemo, targeted drug therapy, or immunotherapy. In some cases, other treatments such as surgery or radiation might be used to help relieve symptoms from the spread of the cancer or to treat a small number of tumors that might be growing in certain organs like the lungs. If the cancer is growing very slowly, it might be watched and treated only if it starts to cause problems.

Making treatment decisions

It’s important to discuss all your treatment options and make the decision that best fits your needs. This includes talking about the goals and possible side effects of each treatment. You might feel that you need to make a decision quickly, but it’s important to give yourself time to absorb the information you have learned.

Questions to ask before salivary gland cancer treatment

Understanding the diagnosis and choosing a treatment plan

  • What are my treatment options?
  • What do you recommend and why?
  • How much experience do you have treating this type of cancer?
  • Are there any clinical trials we should consider? How can I find out more about them?
  • What is the goal of treatment?
  • Will this treatment affect the way I look? If so, what are my options for reconstruction?
  • What are the chances that the cancer will come back with these treatment plans?
  • How quickly do we need to decide on treatment?
  • Should I get a second opinion? How do I do that?
  • What will my options be if the treatment doesn’t work and the tumor comes back?

What to expect during treatment

  • What should I do to be ready for treatment?
  • How long will treatment last? What will it be like? Where will it be done?
  • Will I need a feeding tube before starting treatment?
  • Do I need to change what I eat during treatment?
  • Is treatment likely to affect my speech or swallowing? Is there anything I can do to help minimize this?
  • How might treatment affect my daily activities? Can I still work full time?
  • Can I exercise during treatment? If so, what kind should I do, and how often?
  • Are there any limits on what I can do?
  • How will we know if the treatment is working?

Side effects and long-term effects

  • What are the risks or side effects of these treatments?
  • What side effects start shortly after treatment, and which ones might develop later on?
  • Are there things I can do to reduce these side effects?
  • Is there anything I can do to help manage side effects?
  • What symptoms or side effects should I tell you about right away?
  • How can I reach you on nights, holidays, or weekends?

Support and resources

  • Who can I talk to if I have questions about costs, insurance coverage, or social support?
  • What type of follow-up will I need after treatment?
  • What if I have transportation problems getting to and from treatment?
  • Can you suggest a mental health professional I can see if I start to feel overwhelmed, depressed, or distressed?
  • Do you know of any local or online support groups where I can talk to other people who have been through this?

Other things to consider

Seeking a second opinion: If time allows, consider getting a second opinion to feel more confident about the treatment plan you choose.

Clinical trials: Clinical trials study new treatments and might offer access to promising options not widely available. They are also how doctors learn better ways to treat cancer. Ask your doctor about clinical trials you might qualify for.

Integrative and alternative methods: You might hear about herbs, diets, acupuncture, massage, or other ways to relieve your symptoms or treat your cancer. Integrative (holistic) methods are used along with standard care, while alternative ones are used instead of standard care. Some of these might help with symptoms, but many aren’t proven to work and could even be harmful. Talk with your care team first to make sure anything you're considering is safe and won’t interfere with treatment.

Social and emotional health during treatment

It’s normal to have some anxiety or other emotions during and after cancer treatment. But feeling overly worried, depressed, or angry can affect your health. It can get in the way of relationships, work, and other aspects of life.

Salivary gland cancer and its treatment can have an impact on how you view yourself and your body. It can also affect how you do certain everyday tasks. These impacts can be long-lasting for some people.

With support from other people, including family, friends, mental health professionals, and other survivors, many people who have gone through cancer can thrive despite the challenges they’ve had to face.

Reaching out to your cancer center

Many cancer centers have special support programs and services to help people with cancer and their families during treatment and for many years after treatment ends. Reach out to your cancer center for help when you need it. This might include services like counseling, social events, or support groups.

Help getting through cancer treatment

Anyone with cancer needs support and information, no matter what stage of their illness. Knowing all your options and finding the resources you need will help you make informed decisions about your care.

Whether you’re thinking about treatment, getting treatment, or not being treated at all, you can still get supportive care to help with pain or other symptoms. It’s important to communicate with your cancer care team so you understand your diagnosis, the recommended treatment, and ways to maintain or improve your quality of life.

Different types of programs and support services might be helpful, and they can be an important part of your care. These might include nursing or social work services, financial aid, nutritional advice, rehab, or spiritual help.

The 黑料大湿Posts Cancer Society also has programs and services to help you get through treatment, including rides to treatment, lodging, and more.

Cancer Help

Contact the ACS cancer helpline to get answers and information
Search for resources

Find free or low-cost resources from ACS and other organizations.

Choosing to stop treatment or choosing no treatment at all

For some people, when treatments have been tried and are no longer controlling the cancer, it could be time to weigh the benefits and risks of continuing to try new treatments. Whether or not you continue treatment, there are still things you can do to help maintain or improve your quality of life.

Choosing not to treat your cancer

Some people, especially if the cancer is advanced, might not want to be treated at all. There are many reasons you might decide not to get cancer treatment, but it’s important to talk to your doctors as you make that decision. Remember that even if you choose not to treat the cancer, you can still get supportive care to help with pain or other symptoms.

Hospice care

People who have advanced cancer and who are expected to live less than 6 months  might want to consider hospice care. Hospice care is designed to provide the best possible quality of life for people who are near the end of life. You and your family are encouraged to talk with your doctor or a member of your supportive care team about hospice care options, which include hospice care at home, a special hospice center, or other health care locations. Nursing care and special equipment can make staying at home a workable option for many families.

The treatment information given here is not official policy of the 黑料大湿Posts Cancer Society and is not intended as medical advice to replace the expertise and judgment of your cancer care team. It is intended to help you and your family make informed decisions, together with your doctor. Your doctor  might have reasons for suggesting a treatment plan different from these general treatment options. Don't hesitate to ask your cancer care team any questions you  might have about your treatment options.

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Developed by the 黑料大湿Posts Cancer Society medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the 黑料大湿Posts Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).

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Laurie SA, Schiff B. Malignant salivary gland tumors: Treatment of recurrent and metastatic disease. UpToDate. 2025. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/malignant-salivary-gland-tumors-treatment-of-recurrent-and-metastatic-disease on January 8, 2026.

Lydiatt WM, Quivey JM. Salivary gland tumors: Treatment of locoregional disease. UpToDate. 2025. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/salivary-gland-tumors-treatment-of-locoregional-disease on January 8, 2026.

National Cancer Institute. Salivary Gland Cancer Treatment. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck/hp/adult/salivary-gland-treatment-pdq on January 8, 2025.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Head and Neck Cancers. v.1.2026-December 8, 2025. Accessed at https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/head-and-neck.pdf on January 8, 2026.

Prost D, Iseas S, Gatineau M, et al. Systemic treatments in recurrent or metastatic salivary gland cancer: a systematic review. ESMO Open. 2024;9(10):103722.

Sirjani DB, Lewis JS, Beadle BM, Sunwoo JB, Finegersh A. Chapter 86: Malignant Neoplasms of the Salivary Glands. In: Francis HW, Haughey BH, Hillel AT, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head and Neck Surgery. 8th ed. Philadelphia, PA. 

Last Revised: March 11, 2026

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