What are the key statistics about salivary gland cancer?

Salivary gland cancers are not very common, accounting for less than 1% of cancers in the United States. They occur at a yearly rate of about 1 case per 100,000 people per year in the United States.

They can occur at almost any age, but half of salivary gland cancers are found in people who are 65 or older. The average age at the time of diagnosis is 64. They are more common in men than in women.

Statistics related to survival are discussed in the section called “How is salivary gland cancer staged?”