Is parotid gland tumor serious?

The parotid gland tissue is rich in fat, and various tumors are prone to occur in the parotid gland area. The formation of parotid gland tumors is related to factors such as viral infection and radiation. The lumps that appear in the patient's parotid gland are generally painless, soft in texture, and have clear boundaries. Many people who suffer from parotid gland tumors worry that the condition will be serious. The key is to see whether it is a benign or malignant tumor.

Parotid gland malignant tumors are very harmful, so we should pay attention to them. Let's take a look at its symptoms:

1. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma The vast majority of mucoepidermoid carcinomas are low-grade malignant, grow slowly, are hard, have a smooth or nodular surface, and are mobile. If the tumor involves tissues other than the gland, it will be fixed and cause pain and facial paralysis. Two-thirds of patients have regional lymph node metastasis, and after 5 years, one-third of patients have distant metastasis, and 15% develop facial nerve paralysis. If the diagnosis is correct and the treatment is standardized, the prognosis is good, and the 5-year survival rate can be close to 90%. 10% of patients show a highly malignant process. The recurrence rate for low-grade malignancies is 15%, while the recurrence rate for high-grade malignancies is 60%.

2. Adenoid cystic carcinoma tumors are round or oval in shape, 2 to 4 cm in size, and have unclear boundaries with surrounding tissues. It grows slowly and has a long course, but its characteristic is that it is locally destructive and often extends along the nerves. Therefore, there will be pain and facial paralysis in the early stage, and the lump may not be found until after the pain has lasted for a long time. 40% of them have hematogenous metastasis, and in the late stage, there are often metastases to the lungs, liver, bones and regional lymph nodes. Because its boundaries are difficult to determine, complete surgical removal is difficult and recurrence is very likely after surgery.

3. Malignant mixed tumors and malignant transformation of mixed tumors are mostly caused by the malignant transformation of benign mixed tumors. They grow slowly and can take several years or even more than 10 years. If the tumor suddenly increases significantly in size and becomes hard within a few months, and local pain, numbness or facial paralysis occurs, it should be suspected to be a possible malignant transformation. Malignant mixed tumors have a very poor prognosis and are prone to metastasize to the lungs, bones, and brain, and most patients die within 1 year of metastasis.

4. Adenocarcinoma often occurs in the parotid gland. It is an irregular hard mass with no obvious boundary from the surrounding tissue. It can easily invade the nerve tissue and metastasize through the blood to the lungs and bones. The prognosis of this disease is poor, with a postoperative recurrence rate as high as 67.2%. Therefore, radiotherapy should be given after surgery to reduce recurrence. Cervical lymph node metastasis is common (46.6%), so selective cervical lymph node dissection should be performed during surgery. The 5-year survival rate for parotid gland cancer is 45%.

5. The clinical manifestations of acinar cell carcinoma are similar to those of mixed tumors. It grows slowly, has a long course, and is asymptomatic. About one-third of cases occur simultaneously or successively in the parotid glands on both sides. The tumor is hard and has a rough surface. Incomplete surgical resection often leads to recurrence, and once recurrence occurs, it is very difficult to cure it. Most patients die from local spread of the tumor or distant metastasis, and the 5-year survival rate is approximately 80%.

6. Squamous cell carcinoma grows in an invasive manner. In the late stage, the surface skin may ulcerate, leading to secondary infection and bleeding, and affecting the facial nerve and causing facial paralysis. About 5% of patients with this type of tumor have regional lymph node metastasis and distant metastasis, and the 5-year survival rate is 24%.