Salivary Gland Cancer: Adam Yauch, Beastie Boys Bandmember, Dies Of The Disease, But What Is It?

Adam "MCA" Yauch, member of the iconic Beastie Boys, has passed away after battling cancer of the salivary gland, according to news reports.

Yauch, 47, was treated for the cancer in 2009, and in 2011, there were false reports that he had beaten it. But he actually was never cured of the cancer, and he continued to battle the disease, HuffPost Celebrity reported.

Cancer of the salivary gland is quite rare, making up only 2.5 to 3 diagnoses out out of every 100,000 cancer cases each year, according to the National Cancer Institute. The cancer only represents 3 to 5 percent of total head and neck cancers.

The cancer begins in the salivary glands in the head, which are located in the mouth, throat and neck. The most common place for the cancer to start is in the parotid gland -- near the front part of the ear, the Mayo Clinic reported.

[Click here for a graphic from the American Cancer Society, illustrating where the salivary glands are located.]

Not all salivary gland tumors are cancerous, according to the National Institutes of Health. When the tumor is benign, a doctor may choose to just remove the salivary gland. However, other treatments like radiation therapy, chemotherapy are needed if the tumor is malignant (surgery to remove the cancerous tumor is also an option), according to the Cleveland Clinic.

Salivary gland cancer is most common amongst people in their 60s and 70s, according to the National Cancer Institute. Risk factors include being exposed to radiation (like that which is used to treat other cancers in the head or neck), and exposure to substances used in asbestos mining, plumbing and rubber manufacturing, the Mayo Clinic reported.

Signs of salivary gland cancer include having a typically painless lump in the mouth or near the ear, jaw, lip or cheek; ear fluid drainage; a numb or weak sensation in the face; problems with swallowing; and facial pain, according to the National Cancer Institute. Tests to diagnose the cancer include screenings like MRI, CT or PET scans, an ultrasound exam and endoscopy.

The Cleveland Clinic reported that a number of factors can influence how deadly salivary gland cancer will be, including how old the patient is and how healthy he or she is; what kinds of cancer cells the tumor is comprised of; which salivary gland the cancer is in; and the size of the cancer tumor.

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Comments

[gjfenske]

04:20 PM on 04/04/2013

So sad. My husband died 1-26-13 of same disease. Roger Ebert died today of same cancer. They really need more research on this cancer. Maybe now there will be more notice.

[Stacey Sea]

12:58 PM on 05/07/2012

just for the record...there are a couple cures for cancer...only the pharmacutical companies keep putting a stop to that cuz THEY won't be receiving billions of dollars cancer patients. before u say there is no cure...don't be ignorant n do some research. so that more ppl can become aware of the lies drug companies are telling us...

[Redrocklass]

12:12 PM on 05/07/2012

I fit that 60-70 y/o profile as I had my ears "therapetucially" radiated as a chld to halt my middle ear infections which subsequently were regarded as a result of my gluten intolerance. I had been married to a physician while he was still in med' school, I later worked in health care administration for a State agency as well as a medical school, I had undiagnosed thyroid cancer for 27 years and fortunately for me it was the slowest growing type of thyroid cancer. Roger Ebert has not been so lucky as his bottom jaw has had to be removed and he speaks through a machine.

The point is that certain modalities that science has very little knowledge about should not be used precipitously on children or adults. The area needing complete research now is the biological effects of electromagnetic and radio frequencies currently used in cell phones, WiFi laptops, cell towers, "smart" anything, etc. Wireless Technology and Young People – A Resource for Schools – UK, January 2011
http://wifiinschools.org.uk/resources/wireless+technologies+and+young+people+Jan2011.pdf

Working for Safe Technologies for Nurseries, Schools and Colleges
http://wifiinschools.org.uk/6.html

[sharmaine73]

11:58 PM on 05/06/2012

As sad as this is, the one thing my husband and I noted is that Adam MCA Yauch seems to have lived a pretty decent life. The Beastie Boys probably partied but you never heard about it. Adam died too young, yes, but not as so many in Hollywood die - from drug overdoses or the "flu". He's leaving behind a proper legacy, unblemished by ugly behavior and shameful acts. He's going to be remembered for making really good music and this is how it should be. My heart goes out to his family and the others members of the Beastie Boys who have lost their life long friend. I will always love their music. RIP Adam.

[furionfxdl]

11:15 AM on 05/06/2012

my daughter was 11 when she died of this same salivery cancer (rhabdomyo sarcoma) she was given a 93 percent chance of a cure at the begining.this was the hardest 2 and a half years of my life.that was in 2002 i am sad to see we are not making much progress in this fight for a cure!

[Ace800]

10:57 AM on 05/07/2012

Oh my. I can't imagine the emotions you endured during that period. Thank you for sharing. Prayerfully, time has help you to find healing and peace.

[tempgirl007]

10:20 AM on 05/06/2012

I love u beastie boys. Love u. U white guys got out there and paved the way for guys like Eminem and others. U have entertained me since back in the day and I still listen to ur music. I was listening to one of ur songs last week. Paul Revere. Thank you. and I'm so sad that u are gone. Who said white guys can't rap?? Please these brothers, have been laying it down for decades!!!

[Bradleeeeeee]

02:58 PM on 05/06/2012

Don't forget Public Enemy. They got signed because the Beastie Boys played one of their tapes for Rick Rubin.

[mplsdiva]

06:20 PM on 05/06/2012

One of the many things I respected about the beastie boys was they never had that dumb phase of wanting to use the N-word or complaining about why they cant say the n-word. They just made good music.

[ahoyhoy]

07:19 AM on 05/06/2012

The idea that a man just a bit older than me, who was still so lively & sexy when he was diagnosed, really scares the cr#p outta me.
Cancer takes the best ones.
RIP Adam. Plenty of sugar w/ coffee & cream where you are this morning.

[rav1267]

09:55 PM on 05/05/2012

RIP Adam Yauch you will be playing in heavens with the angels

[johnson56301]

09:15 PM on 05/05/2012

IF cancer, Lung and Heart disease constitutes the vast majority of killing diseases in the US why do we not focus the majority of our resources on these killers? It seems that we spend a lot of $$ on AIDS yet that kills a very small percentage of.

God bless Adam

[ahoyhoy]

07:38 AM on 05/06/2012

Virus is different than cancer, in that the AIDS virus, Bird Flu, etc, are constantly EVOLVING. Constantly we are dealing with new strains. No treatment, vaccine, or 'cure' will work on a virus that has changed & evolved so many times since discovery.

I agree that cancer definitely needs more research $, though. Especially when it keeps taking younger & younger people.

[Bradleeeeeee]

03:02 PM on 05/06/2012

There's no money in finding a cure for cancer. It's a cynical way to look at it, but treatment generates billions of dollars.

[Riot Nrrrd]

04:40 PM on 05/05/2012

So let me get this straight: one of our most gifted musicians, videographers and activists gets a Cancer so rare it almost infects no one, and usually then only males 60+, and its main cause is asbestos exposure? That is just SO random it's unbelievable. F Cancer.

[ArtemisBSG]

12:50 AM on 05/05/2012

At age 34 I was dx'd with B-cell non-Hodgkins lymphoma of the parotid gland. Mine was thought to relate to my having Sjogren's Syndrome which is an autoimmune disorder that attacks lubricating glands the body - mouth, nose etc. At the time I was told it was extremely rare for a female my age to be dx'd with it. Usually it is dx'd in white men 60+. I originally had it removed and it grew back, I needed radiation and so far 7 years later I am cancer free. I was told my young age and relatively good health helped in my case. Also, I wasn't a smoker or drinker, ate well and exercised. Scary, scary time but it can be beat. But with cancer you just never know - studies and statistics don't seem to mean much, for whatever reason all factors can be in your favor and you still can not beat it. Cancer Sucks!

Beastie Boys was my first ever album in the 80's - Christmas 1987 - Mom and dad had no clue what Beastie Boys was.

[ahoyhoy]

07:30 AM on 05/06/2012

Don't write me off as an alarmist hippie --- I'm in my 40's, and I often wonder about the random pesticides and/or dyes & chemicals in water & food---stuff that may have been used just for a short time in the 70's or early 80's. I mean, we used DDT for YEARS (many countries still do) before we figured out that it was about to extinguish all our birds of prey--including our precious Bald Eagle.
MCA was in Brooklyn in the 70's. I remember how chemical-filthy NYC was back then. We'll never know why cancer takes young people, I'm just wary of stuff we are told is safe for a while, and then suddenly it isn't. It's impossible to trace every chemical, and the manufacturers create this poison and then are allowed to just walk away when all the bees start dying.
Congratulations and good on you for beating cancer, btw!

[Jennie Bradstreet]

01:03 PM on 05/07/2012

Majority of Head and neck cancers are now being attributed to HPV- the same virus that 99% of ovarian cancers are from. HPV is mostly a sexually transmitted disease and if you look at the numbers...it is being spread in epidemic proportion. But most people are not being informed of the risk of contracting HPV or vaccinating against it. It is one of the diseases that people don't want to talk about and can be passed with very little contact- or non sexual encounter (as Bill Clinton says).

[ann truscott]

07:40 PM on 05/04/2012

...'there were false reports that he had beaten it. But he actually was never cured of the cancer'...well no surprise there, we do not have a cure for cancer.

[BCNC]

07:29 AM on 05/05/2012

We have no "cure" for cancer but people do get treatments for cancer and individual cases are "cured" and people who had cancer are declared cancer free everyday. Unfortunately for Adam he could not beat it.

[ann truscott]

10:04 PM on 05/07/2012

I repeat, there is no cure for cancer.People are told they are cured and are shocked when it returns years later, in the breast cancer world that is one out of three woman. One out of three woman diagnosed with breast cancer still die from breast cancer, it is wrong to declare someone cured, remission is a far better and less misleading term

[gabs125689]

04:04 PM on 05/04/2012

It seems like it would be a relatively simple tumour to surgically remove. I guess I'm not a surgeon though.

[Kimifish]

04:16 PM on 05/04/2012

...Except there are a lot of facial nerves all wrapped up in that area. Very sensitive area, that dramatically affects your quality of life.

[Kimifish]

04:18 PM on 05/04/2012

...Except there are a lot of facial nerves in that area. It is a very sensitive place to operate, that can dramatically affect a person's quality of life.