How does someone get cancer of salivary gland?

Rare cancer: Although there is no single predominant risk factor for salivary gland tumors, potential ones include radiation exposure, cigarette smoking (whartin tumor only), certain viral infections, and some environmental and industrial hazards. Salivary gland tumors are relatively rare, accounting for less than 10% of head/neck tumors.

Risk factors: These are rare cancers and at least a dozen sub-types. It is thus hard to adequately study risk factors for causation, since such studies need large numbers of patients of the same disease to study. There is not one clear factor, say, for example, like the case of smoking causing lung cancer. For salivary tumors, there is evidence that substantial radiation exposure in childhood may be causative.

Likely tobacco.: Apart from natural disease, tobacco use (including smokeless) is probably the most likely way to get any head and neck cancer, let alone salivary. The time can vary, but usually it takes long. Patients usually present at over age 50, and can have non-healing, painful ulcers. Rock hard cervical or supraclavicular lymph nodes indicate metastasis.