Conclusion
Current COVID-19 pandemic with a need to preserve health care resources
and staff can result in cancer care delays and negative impact on
patient outcomes. Salivary gland swelling and pain are commonly
associated with benign pathology, but the risk of salivary gland
malignancy should not be overlooked in the subset of patients with the
history and initial evaluation concerning for salivary gland mass. We
believe that these patients should undergo additional diagnostic workup
to avoid delays in cancer care and negative impact on outcomes. Patient
triage, ultrasonographic evaluation and FNAB of salivary gland lesions
or, in some cases, immediate contrast-enhanced MRI can help avoid some
of the delays. Additional cross-sectional imaging and diagnostic
procedures must be postponed if possible. All measures must be taken to
minimize COVID-19 exposure.
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