Parotid gland tumor. Will need surgery. Your experience at Mayo?

Welcome, @tinytoni. I added your question to the Head & Neck Cancer Support Group (https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/head-neck-cancer/) as well. I'm tagging @hrhwilliam @mrf @gypsygem @sepdvm @denisebrown67 who can share their experience with parotid tumors or other head and neck cancer at Mayo Clinic in Rochester.

You might also be interested in watching this archived video with 2 of Mayo Clinic's leading surgeons in Otorhinolaryngology, Dr. Eric Moore and Dr. Daniel Price, discussing parotid tumors.
- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/event/video-qa-about-parotid-tumors/

You will be in good hands at Mayo Clinic in Rochester. Has a referral already been submitted?

Hello @tinytoni. I had surgery for head and neck cancer at Mayo in 2012. My primary was in the ear canal so my ear ENT surgeon was Dr. Colin Driscoll. The partial parotidectomy and neck dissection was done by Dr Eric Moore who is also an ENT and Plastic Surgeon. Residents were always involved as well. At the time the nurses said I had the best team of surgeons and I do believe that. Dr. Moore was able to remove a portion of my facial nerve affected by tumor and reconnect the ends to allow for healing of the facial paralysis. My doctors at Mayo have always been assigned according to their specialty and my needs and I have always been pleased with my care team. Once in their system, the team approach is amazing in how well it functions so that you can see just who you need to see. We still drive 10 hours from Ohio for rechecks because of the excellent medical care. Good luck to you. Susan

Thank you so much Susan for responding so quickly. I have been following Dr.Moore and hope to get an appointment with him. From all of the videos I have watched, his expertise is what I want in a doctor. I hope you are in good health and thanks again to your help.

Sue - did you have facial paralysis (no smile or slanted smile) post surgery? Did you have plastic surgery or facial reanimation surgery done to correct this? Dr. Moore said it would take one year for the nerves to reconnect. I was curious to know what happens after the 12 months. Does your smile just activate or is surgery needed?

Dr. Eric Moore did my head/neck cancer surgery at Mayo. I had tumor in my salivary duct and had complete parotidectomy with neck dissection August 28, 2023. I came back in October for 3 weeks of proton beam radiation. Yesterday was my 5 month marker and I'm recovering well. My next appointments at Mayo are February 1-2 for post surgery PET and CT scans. I will keep you posted.

Catherine, I had tumor involvement in the facial nerve so a section had to be removed. I had total right side facial paralysis when I woke up from surgery. By anastomosing the ends back together during the initial surgery, my paralysis was starting to improve with increased muscle tone 5 months after surgery. By 9 months I could really start to tell that there was improvement. Nerve tissue is very slow to heal and you need patience. It is a very slow process of regaining control of muscles that had atrophied. Then there is an issue with synkinesis where the nerves healing together are not exactly the same as it was initially. So now certain muscles have different control.....like attempting to raise the eyebrow might cause the corner of my mouth to twitch. I feel that the brain figures this out slowly and I do facial muscle exercises to help. I will never be able to raise my eyebrow but I had a plastic surgery to elevate the brow. My facial appearance will never be like before surgery, but I am amazed by little improvements I still see 12 years later. Spending time outside in cold weather makes my facial muscles very stiff and slow to respond. This is just a part of the new normal, and better than being dead from cancer. I would certainly recommend a life saving surgery even though the risk of facial paralysis is there. I won't sugar coat it, it takes some real motivation to get back to your life during facial paralysis, but knowing it is temporary and there will be gradual improvement is what has gotten me though.

I didn’t have my parotid fatty tumor removed at Mayo Clinic, but had it done at my local hospital done by my ear, nose, & throat specialist & a friend of mine’s husband that was the doctor….. The surgery took over six hrs. & he used electrodes affixed to my facial nerves during the surgery so he wouldn’t cut any of my nerves & that prevented any facial droop…. Very Blessed & Grateful. It’s who’s doing the surgery that counts! And mine was only a fatty tumor & it was my Daughter who noticed the lump in my throat…. My primary doc thought it was just swollen glands & gave me an antibiotic, but I then went to my ENT specialist & he diagnosed the parotid gland tumor…. I have no parotid gland on my left side & my scar in in the crease of my neck! Very Blessed…🙏❤️🎊

Thank you for your reply. It has been 5 months since my surgery and have a small amount of movement. Had you ever smoked or used nicotine prior to cancer diagnosis?

Never smoked, only second hand smoke as a child from my dad smoking at home. He died of oral SCC in 1993. As a veterinarian I have had more than average radiation exposure from restraining animals for xrays so I consider that a predisposing factor, as well as the genetic component.
That's wonderful that you are seeing improvement! Be patient and know that it will continue to improve for years. How did your recent scans go? (fingers crossed for good report)
Sue

Oh for many years I did have high sensitivity whenever I got my haircut & someone would move my ear to cut my hair….. Today not as sensitive…..