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The salivary glands are numerous small entities whose role is the production of saliva. They may be subject to many conditions: impaired secretory function, gallstones, infection or cancer. In the majority of tumors are benign but can sometimes be malignant, which is most often the parotid salivary glands.

The function of salivary glands is to produce saliva, which serves to moisten the mouth, helps digestion and oral health.

Very many, the salivary glands are located around the mouth. There are however, 3 main types: the parotid glands in the cheeks, glands submandibular on each side of the neck and sublingual glands under the tongue and sides of the tongue.

Each salivary gland can become cancerous, but it is most often the parotid glands (85% of cases of cancers of the salivary glands). Slow growth, the majority of salivary gland tumors are benign (75 to 80% of cases). They look like small mobile nodules in the oral mucosa, or fixed small cysts.

When tumors are malignant (20 to 25% of cases), growth is rapid and unexpected. The nodules are hard and then fixed.