Screening for salivary gland cancer

There is no national screening programme for salivary gland cancer in the UK. This is because there isn't a screening test that reliably picks up salivary gland cancer at an early stage. 

Screening means testing people for early stages of a disease. This is before they have any symptoms. For screening to be useful the tests:

• need to be reliable at picking up cancers
• overall must do more good than harm to people taking part
• must be something that people are willing to do

Screening tests are not perfect and have some risks. The screening programme should also be good value for money for the NHS.

Why there isn’t a screening programme for salivary gland cancer in the UK

There is no national screening programme because:

• this condition is very rare, so many people would have unnecessary tests
• the benefits don't outweigh the costs

Talk to your GP if you think you are at increased risk of salivary gland cancer or are worried about symptoms.