Salivary Gland Cancers

Salivary Gland Cancers

Salivary Gland cancer kills Adam Yauch (Beastie Boys)
Cancer of the salivary gland is quite rare, The statistic given by NCI is 2.5 to 3 new cases out of 100,000 population, or about 1,000 new cases per year in the US – according to the National Cancer Institute. Cancer only represents 3 to 5 percent of total head and neck cancers.

Cancer begins in the salivary glands in the head, which are located in the mouth, throat, and neck. The most common place for cancer to start is in the parotid gland — near the front part of the ear.

Adam “MCA” Yauch, a member of the iconic Beastie Boys, has passed away after being diagnosed with cancer of the salivary gland, according to news reports.

Yauch, 47, was treated for cancer in 2009, and in 2011, there were false reports that he had beaten it. But he actually was never cured of the disease.

Not all salivary gland tumors are cancerous, according to the National Institutes of Health. When the tumor is benign, a doctor may choose to just remove the salivary gland. However, other treatments like radiation therapy and chemotherapy are needed if the tumor is malignant (surgery to remove the cancerous tumor is also an option), according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Salivary gland cancer is most common amongst people in their 60s and 70s, according to the National Cancer Institute. Risk factors include being exposed to radiation (like that which is used to treat other cancers in the head or neck), and exposure to substances used in asbestos mining, plumbing, and rubber manufacturing signs of salivary gland cancer include:

having a typically painless lump in the mouth
or near the ear, jaw, lip, or cheek,
ear fluid drainage,
a numb or weak sensation in the face,
problems with swallowing,
and facial pain – according to the National Cancer Institute. Tests to diagnose cancer include screenings like MRI, CT or PET scans, an ultrasound exam, and endoscopy.

The Cleveland Clinic reported that a number of factors can influence how deadly salivary gland cancer will be, including how old the patient is and how healthy he or she is; what kinds of cancer cells the tumor is comprised of; which salivary gland the cancer is in; and the size of the cancer tumor.

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Salivary Cancer-general information

The salivary glands make saliva (spit). This keeps your mouth moist and helps food slide down the gullet into the stomach. The largest salivary glands are the:

  • sublingual glands, which are found underneath the tongue
  • parotid glands, which are found at the sides of the mouth just in front of the ears
  • submandibular glands, which are found under the jawbone.

There are also many more tiny glands in the lining of the mouth and throat. These don’t have individual names but are known as the minor salivary glands and cancers affecting the salivary glands are rare, with approximately 550 new cases in the UK each year. They can occur at any age but are more common in people over 50. There are different types of salivary gland cancer, depending on the type of cell that has become cancerous.

Like many other forms of cancer, the exact causes of salivary gland cancer are unknown. Non-cancerous tumors of the salivary glands are a lot more common than cancerous tumors apparently!

Tumours affecting the salivary glands are not infectious and cannot be passed on to other people. They are not caused by an inherited faulty gene, so the relatives of someone with salivary gland cancer won’t be queuing up for a bout of salivary cancer!

Things to look out for are swelling on the side of the face, just in front of the ears, or under the jawbone and some people suffer some numbness and drooping of one side of the face (facial palsy)-a bit like having a stroke.

These symptoms may occur with different conditions; ie, other than cancer, and most people with these symptoms won’t have a salivary gland cancer-very few do. However, like most cancers, salivary gland cancers are best treated when diagnosed at an early stage. You should tell your GP about these symptoms if they do not improve over a few days.

Must Read

Dealing with cancer

Dealing with cancer

I have read through what KB has to say and I think it may well be of value to many of you out there, for, at the end of the day, cancer is cancer and anything that helps has to be a bonus ball. I state here and now that we may not agree with all that is written & there will be bracketed opinions along the way but each person must make up their own mind as we go along! I hope they’ll ease the minds of anyone going through a difficult time due to a cancer diagnosis.

Nine ways to reduce your cancer risk:

1… Don’t smoke – or use any form of tobacco. If you’ve never smoked or have already quit, congratulations – you don’t have to do a thing. If you do smoke or use tobacco products, you can cut your cancer risk by stopping right now. Quitting isn’t so easy, but the benefits are almost instantaneous: Medical experts have found that a person’s health can improve within minutes of the last puff (or snuff) – and the health advantages can last a lifetime. Here’s a simple step-by-step plan to get you started.

(Having stated the above, one has to remember that smoking/snuffing/vaping is a freedom of choice & some people are simply born to smoke, and some do not. It is also worth remembering that the six (6) oldest people ever to live all smoked for at least 70 years! Another couple of interesting facts are that 80% of lung cancer cases occur in NON-smokers & 49% of lung transplants come FROM smokers/ex-smokers. Smoking does NOT actually cause lung cancers but it is a ‘risk factor). Bizarrely, back in the mid 60’s the then Surgeon General USA  (Dr Richard Carmona) declared that even standing next to a smoker (smoking) could give you cancer/cause you to have cancer – but never a mention of the highly toxic & dangerous road traffic fumes! (food for thought there).

2… Make your home (and car) smoke-free. Okay, so you don’t use tobacco, but is the rest of your life up in smoke? All the cancer-causing ingredients in cigarettes, cigars, and pipes are also found in secondhand smoke. Even the remnants of tobacco smoke on surfaces, known as thirdhand smoke, can be a health hazard. If you live with a smoker, ask him or her to quit – or to smoke outside, away from your home or car. Adults, kids, and even pets are all at risk from the danger of secondhand and thirdhand smoke.

(Firstly, it is impossible to make your home or car smoke-free. Secondly, SHS has now been officially declared harmless by the WHO, which is a total backtrack on all the lies spouted a decade ago so as to gain smoking bans worldwide! True scientific research has caught up with the WHO and they now have little option but to comply with the truth which is simply that as the world became more & more industrial so did cancers become more prevalent. 

As for harmless ‘third-hand smoke’, [only a theory by the way] so-called by Dr Winnickoff, who put the telephone down on me some years ago, it is basically a scaremongering tactic that quickly gained worldwide recognition as a household danger [courtesy of the ever greedy media, etc] -but then so are dust particles, cooking odours, air pollution generally – and a whole host of other things that you wouldn’t even think about – that’s why we now have ‘antiseptic wipes’ and ‘Dettol sprays’ these days. By the very nature of the beast, it is impossible to avoid airborne toxins when driving the car or simply traveling in a car! Either fumes from the car in front, behind, next to you, or you own car will get to you for the simple reason that they are forced out of the car via the exhaust system. However, rigorous testing has proven unequivocally that a window or two, opened only 1/2″, will greatly help to dissipate all such unseeable fumes.)

Asbestos – What You Need to Know:

This section deals with the dangers of asbestos, a much-used material back in the late 40’s & 50’s as it was cheap, very usable, and easy to get hold of! Now, most of this is written for our American friends but I will point out that over here in Britain the easiest way to dispel fears of asbestos if refurbishing a property was to leave it in situ if possible, especially as a dividing wall [which it often was], and simply PVA (which seals the outer surface) & plasterboard straight over it, then a double coat of plaster! Simple, cheap, and very effective.

You see good people, where folks go wrong is they adhere to all the scaremongering and think they need to call in the very expensive ‘professional asbestos removers‘ [who look like spacemen in all their protective gear] when in actual fact they don’t! I know of an elderly gentleman who had an old style ‘asbestos sheet garage‘ that needed clearing out: the council informed him that there would be an £800-£900 charge. 

A few lusty blows in the right places soon razed said garage to the ground, leaving for 30 minutes to let those nasty little spores dissipate/settle and the offending asbestos was quietly bagged up and taken to the local tip – total cost…..£3 in petrol!

Wearing a protective mask is always a great idea when dealing with any asbestos as the airborne spores do not do anyone any favors but generally, if asbestos is treated with respect there is very little danger of it causing any form of cancer. You may well laugh but it is not a bad idea to gently ‘hoover up over the old concrete base so as to be clear of any random spores. As always, it is up to the individual as to what they decide to do with their asbestos-if they even have any.

ASBESTOS 11:

This is a detailed composition of how you should go about removing any asbestos in your home – American style – with costs ranging from $1,000 & $2,500 and involving people dressed as spacemen for the duration of their removals. As per normal you are treated as if you are dealing with ‘sarin gas‘; ie, well OTT and most of you will find it far easier to follow my route (which is not illegal) as detailed above.

Creative play – Helping children cope with cancer:

This department is way beyond my humble knowledge so we’ll rely on all the good work done by ‘KB’ and simply pass the information onto our good selves.

This is a very tricky area to go into and best left to the professionals but I do know of a couple of ‘characters’ who chose their own path and drank until the day they passed away. Now whether the drink subdued the physical or mental pain I know not, but they simply did what suited them so who can really argue with that? One thing that is for sure is that no one single person can state exactly how the next person should be feeling when the news hits them nor how they will react. So, read all of these ‘mini-chapters’ carefully prepared by ‘KB’, and perhaps something will be of help to you or a loved one who has embarked on this rocky path. Good luck to you all.

I also know of cannabis smokers who swear by the plant for easing the aches & pains of cancer and I could never ‘knock them’ for using the stuff. The law, in Britain, is an ass as far as cannabis use is concerned but, as is our way, if the Judiciary see a simple way of making money through criminal proceedings (fines, etc) then they will not change a stupid law that would benefit so many people in so many ways – especially those suffering from the many forms of terminal cancer! Though having never used cannabis myself I would not hesitate to purchase some for a loved one if it eased their pain.

21 Simple Ways to Prevent Air Pollution in Your Home:

Here are some simple steps you can take:

  1. Avoid smoking indoors
  2. Use craft supplies in well-ventilated areas (toxins in various types of glue etc)
  3. Make sure your gas stove is well-ventilated (cook away, but open a window)
  4. Minimize clutter
  5. Remove carpeting if possible (shame as we all love a nice thick shagpile under our feet)
  6. Use a dehumidifier and/or air conditioner to reduce moisture
  7. Keep trash covered to avoid attracting pests
  8. Remove shoes at the door
  9. Have car emissions tested regularly (if you are fortunate enough to have one)
  10. Minimize air freshener use (another ‘fresh air‘ myth blown away!)
  11. Test your home for radon
  12. Use carbon monoxide detectors
  13. Fix water leaks (only a fool would waste water anyway!)
  14. Dust surfaces and vacuum frequently (remember our Dettol wet wipes?)
  15. Wash bedding weekly in hot water
  16. Make sure exhaust fans are functioning in your bathrooms and kitchen
  17. Keep a lid on scented candles (so much for your strawberry-scented room!)
  18. Avoid using open fires (fire hazard & carcinogenic)
  19. Check gas fires for gas leakages (carbon monoxide poisoning, house fire, etc)
  20. Avoid neighbors bonfires/binfires (close all windows immediately)
  21. Ensure your BBQ is ‘downwind’ from your house (BBQ fumes are just as dangerous as other gases!)

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