Parotid Tumours

Question 1

What is the parotid?

Answer 1

The main salivary gland on the side of the face

Question 2

What causes malignant tumours? (3)

Answer 2

Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma, Adenocarcinoma and Squamous Cell

Question 3

What causes benign tumours? (1)

Answer 3

Pleomorphic Adenoma

Question 4

Are they common?

Answer 4

80% of salivary gland tumours occur in the parotid, there are 6 per 100,000 cases per year

Question 5

Who do they affect?

Answer 5

Benign usually occur in the 40’s and malignant in the 60’s

Question 6

Risk Factors (3)

Answer 6

Neck radiation, smoking, mobile phone use

Question 7

Signs and Symptoms (7)

Answer 7

Painless mass, slowly enlarging, facial nerve weakness, paraesthesia, intermittent pain, lymphadenopathy, skin ulceration

Question 8

Investigations (6)

Answer 8

Ultrasound, Fine needle aspiration, Biopsy, MRI, CT, Sialography

Question 9

What is the treatment for benign tumours? (1)

Answer 9

Excision using superficial parotidectomy

Question 10

What is the treatment for malignant? (3)

Answer 10

Excision, post-op radiotherapy, chemotherapy for palliative patients

Question 11

Complications (4)

Answer 11

Damage to facial nerve, tumour recurrence, malignant change (pleomorphic adenoma>Carcinoma Ex-Pleomorphic Adenoma), Redness and sweating when eating due to inappropriate re-formation of autonomic nerves

Question 12

Is there a good prognosis?

Answer 12

10 year survival for stage 1 is 83%, 5 year survival for high grade is 34%