12th Annual Thyroid and Salivary Neoplasms

Presented by Mr Nick Roland
Consultant ENT/Head & Neck Surgeon
University Hospitals Aintree

This video explores salivary gland cancer, a rare but significant type of head and neck cancer. Learn about its causes and symptoms to better understand this disease. #shorts #medicalshorts #cancer #healthcare

Images and videos from freepik.com
Speech Synthesis by Eleven Labs

There are three paired major salivary glands. One is the parotid glands in front of the ear. The submandibular gland s below the jaw, the sublingual gland is below the tongue. All these glands produce saliva, which pours into the oral cavity, mixes with the food, enables the food to be masticated and digested. These glands secrete the saliva into the mouth through ducts called as salivary ducts. Now one of the commonest causes for the salivary blocks are stones in the salivary ducts. When the exit gets blocked, the salivary secretions back up into the gland and causes salivary gland swelling This typically happens when the patient eats an gives rise to severe pain in the area of the obstructed or the blocked salivary gland These stones are formed de novo and is because of build-up of this crystallised saliva. These ducts when they get blocked, give rise to this salivary secretion, subsequently get infected and give rise to sialadenitis or infection of the salivary glands. These are surgical conditions which needs surgical treatment to relieve them of the blocks. As far as the malignancy is concerned, apart from a good clinical examination , which may throw some suspicion about the swelling in the region of the salivary glands, we further proceed with what we call as a CT scan or an MRI evaluation of the head and neck region and whenever required, an image guided fine needle aspiration cytology, that is tissue for examination under microscope, which will tell us whether it is malignant or not.

A treatment done prior to cancer surgery on head and neck patients can improve their ability to swallow and speak, says a Broward Health surgeon.

Medical research experts at The James have discovered a surprising link between breast cancer and salivary gland cancer: a new study suggests that those who carry mutated BRCA genes (which are associated with high breast cancer risks) are 17 times more likely to get salivary cancer than those who don’t carry the genes. While the findings are preliminary and The James is doing further research, these experts tell us it’s a good idea for patients with the BRCA gene mutation to know about the newly found link so they can get the genetic counseling and testing they might need and their doctors can screen them for this cancer.