![]() Salivary gland cancer is a type of head and neck cancer. More than half of all salivary gland tumors are benign (not cancerous) and do not spread to other tissues. Most small salivary gland tumors begin in the palate (roof of the mouth). There are also hundreds of small (minor) salivary glands lining parts of the mouth, nose, and larynx that can be seen only with a microscope. The three main pairs of salivary glands are the parotid glands, the sublingual glands, and the submandibular glands. Submandibular glands: These glands are found below the jawbone.Įnlarge Anatomy of the salivary glands.Sublingual glands: These glands are found under the tongue in the floor of the mouth.Most major salivary gland tumors begin in this gland. Parotid glands: These are the largest salivary glands and are found in front of and just below each ear.I’m grateful and I’m happy that it’s not what they thought it was. ![]() “Psychologically, it’s been really tough. I’m happy - I like being alive,” Armstrong said. ![]() She’s had a rough time recovering from the surgery and is still trying to process the medical roller coaster ride. The only drug available controls the disease, but is not potent enough to eradicate it, Houston said.Īrmstrong will also need to have blood tests once a month and a CT scan every six months. Courtesy Cassidy ArmstrongĪs for Armstrong, doctors can’t guarantee they removed every last cell of the parasite, so she may have to take anti-parasitic medicine indefinitely. "It's just scary trying to figure out: OK, what's the next thing? What do I do now?" she said. "People shouldn’t be getting too freaked out about it." Armstrong has always had physical jobs, which she can't do anymore after her medical ordeal. “We’re almost certainly going to see some more cases, but this is still a rare disease," Houston said. Many coyotes now live in urban areas, which can bring them - and the parasites - in close contact with pet dogs and people. Experts assume someone brought over a dog that was carrying the parasite from Europe not too long ago and the bug was “spectacularly successful” in multiplying in coyotes and rodents. The initial diagnosis: fibrolamellar carcinoma, a rare type of liver cancer that strikes people under 40.ĭoctors have known about this disease in Europe for 150 years, but in North America, “we virtually never saw human disease before,” Houston noted. That’s when doctors found the giant mass on her liver. Worried she had gallstones, she asked for an ultrasound. The pain in her ribs became more constant. Courtesy Cassidy Armstrongīut in the last year, Armstrong lost 25 pounds, became anemic, experienced digestive problems and had trouble sleeping. Armstrong had been healthy before the ordeal and enjoyed being active outdoors. Since the pain would come and go, and it wasn’t intense, she stopped worrying about it. She went to the doctor, but blood tests and X-rays showed nothing abnormal. It can begin with vague painĪrmstrong started having a dull ache on the right side of her ribcage a few years ago. If it's left to grow unchecked, the disease can be fatal. "So when you see a nasty shadow on the imaging, the ultrasound or MRI, all their experience would suggest it must be cancer.” “Nobody has ever seen this before, nobody is familiar with it," he said. can easily mistake the growth for a malignant cancer. ![]() Doctors in areas where it's not common - like Canada and the U.S.
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