Eric did make assumptions that we all read his signature line (and we should have) but we are all human.

But this thread has been hijacked from Elizabeth so let's get back to her questions.

My doctors recommended against an RND because of the potential mortality rate being increased due to the length of time of the surgery. I did not present with any nodal involvement and I also had a "moderately well differentiated" and "focally invasive" tumor. My head & neck surgeon was the one making the recommendation. It was all about "risk & benefit".

I have been working on new content for the site for rarer forms of OC and some pages on ACC will appear in the near future. Salivary gland ACC is rare and can't be compared to SCC.

An extract of my draft content:

This category of malignant tumors of the salivary glands is a diagnosis of exclusion, that is, all adenocarcinomas that do not fit into any previously described tumors of the salivary gland are classified here. The tumors are usually solitary and asymptomatic with 20% of tumors presenting with pain. About half of the tumors are fixed to the underlying tissue.

Verrucous Carcinoma
Verrucous carcinoma is a type of squamous cell carcinoma that makes up less than 5% of all oral cavity tumors. It is a low-grade cancer that rarely spreads to other parts of the body but can deeply spread into surrounding tissue. Therefore, it is important to surgically remove the tumor and a wide margin of surrounding tissue.

Minor Salivary Gland Carcinomas
Minor salivary gland cancers can develop in the glands that are found throughout the lining of the mouth and throat. There are several types of minor salivary gland cancers, including adenoid cystic carcinoma, mucoepidermoid carcinoma, and polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma. For more information about these cancers and benign salivary gland tumors, see the American Cancer Society document, Salivary Gland Cancer

Lymphomas
The tonsils and base of the tongue contain immune system (lymphoid) tissue that can develop into a cancer called a lymphoma. For more information about these cancers refer to the American Cancer Society documents, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Hodgkin Disease.

ACC is defined as a primary glandular neoplasm demonstrating differentiation toward the terminal intercalated ductal acinar (intercalated) unit and exhibiting one or more of histologic patterns

The parotid is the most common primary site involved in up to 90 of cases , followed by the minor salivary glands [. ACC accounts for 7% to 17.5% of malignant salivary gland tumours. The reported age range for patients with ACC is 3 to 91 years and the female to male ratio is approximately 2:1. The average age range of diagnosis is 38 to 46 years, which is a decade younger than patients with other parotid malignancies. ACC is the second most common salivary gland neoplasm occurring in childhood after Warthin's tumor and pleomorphic adenoma and the third most common bilateral salivary gland tumor.