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Abstract
The salivary glands are divided into major and minor salivary gland categories. The major salivary glands are the parotid, the submandibular, and the sublingual glands. The minor glands comprise 600-1000 small glands dispersed throughout the upper aerodigestive submucosa (ie, palate, lip, pharynx, nasopharynx, larynx, parapharyngeal space).
Tumors of the salivary glands are uncommon and represent 2-4% of head and neck neoplasms. The incidence of salivary gland neoplasms as a whole is approximately 1.5 cases per 100,000 individuals. Most (80%) salivary gland neoplasms originate in the parotid gland, (10-15%) originate in the submandibular gland and the remainder occur in the sublingual and minor salivary glands. Benign neoplasms occur more frequently in women than in men, but malignant tumors are distributed equally between the sexes.