What can you tell me about a parotid gland tumor? half of my parotid gland has been removed because of this. any concern about having half gland?

Talk to your surgeon: The parotid is one of 5 salivary glands surrounding the oral cavity. It produces saliva and enzymes to help with early stages of digestion. You actually have 2 parotids on the sides of your face just below the ears. The loss of one half of a parotid would not likely be a problem. The cause of such tumors varies. The doc who did your surgery can tell you if your tumor was a cancer or benign.

Need more info: 80% of parotid tumors are benign (not cancer), which means that 1 in 5 are cancerous. You need to find out what type of tumor you had. There is no concern about having half a parotid gland. You could have both parotid glands removed and still not realize it from a saliva standpoint. See your ENT to clarify what you had and if anything else needs to be done.