What are the symptoms of parotid gland tumor

Parotid gland tumors are actually very common in our lives, but the symptoms of this disease are similar to those of parotid gland diseases such as mumps, so people often cannot distinguish them. You can learn more about the symptoms of parotid tumor, which will help protect your health.

Symptoms

Most parotid gland tumors occur in the glandular lobe tissue superficial to the facial nerve, accounting for more than 80%. The vast majority of patients with parotid tumors accidentally discover a painless, slowly growing mass centered on the earlobe. The duration of the disease is uncertain and may last for several years or even decades in the elderly. Symptoms of parotid gland tumors include pain, especially persistent pain that progressively worsens, or facial nerve dysfunction or paralysis, which is one of the signs of parotid gland malignant tumors, but not all malignant tumors have this symptom. Patients with malignant tumors and facial nerve paralysis have an increased rate of cervical lymph node metastasis and a poor prognosis. About 10% of parotid tumors occur in the deep tissue of the parotid gland. Due to its deep location, it is difficult to detect in the early stages. When it reaches a certain size, bulging of the soft palate above and behind the tonsil on the affected side can be seen.

Diagnostic tests

1. Medical history: pay attention to when the lump was discovered, whether there is pain, whether antibiotics have been used, and how effective they were.

Parotid gland tumor 2. Carefully palpate the size, range, hardness, nodularity or cysticity of the mass. Whether the boundaries of the mass are clear, whether it can move, whether there are adhesions, whether it is fixed, and whether there is facial paralysis.

3. Based on the medical history and examination, analyze the nature of the mass, whether it is benign or malignant, and whether it has a capsule. If necessary, parotid gland angiography, radionuclide scanning or B-mode ultrasound examination should be performed.

4. Generally, no biopsy is performed before surgery. If necessary, a frozen biopsy is performed during surgery to determine the nature.