• Measure the specimen (three dimensions).  Determine whether it is a complete salivary gland or whether the gland has been transected.  Note whether there is attached fat, muscle, or large nerve.

• Examine the external surface for tumor.  Describe the overall specimen shape and external appearance (color, consistency).
• Ink the external surface.  If there is an area of gland transection, ink this a separate color.
• Slice off the inked facial nerve margin, if present.
• Serially section the specimen parallel to the short axis.
• Describe any tumor (measurements, color, shape, consistency, necrosis, encapsulation, infiltration of surrounding gland, extension beyond gland) and measure the distance to the external surface/margin.
• Be aware that salivary glands are sometimes removed for processes in which no macroscopic lesion is apparent.
• Describe the tumor-free areas (color, lobulation, atrophy/fatty replacement, fibrosis).  Measure and describe intraparotid lymph nodes.

• See Lymph Nodes:  Radical Neck Dissection if applicable.

• Tumor:  minimum of five sections.  Include tumor capsule and margins in most sections.  Include uninvolved adjacent gland in some sections.
• Uninvolved gland:  minimum of one section if tumor is present elsewhere.  If no lesion is apparent, submit between one to five sections, depending on the reason for removal (i.e. incidental resection vs. suspected pathologic process).
• Resection margins:
• Salivary gland:  include with tumor sections.
• Facial nerve:  en face, if included.
• Lymph nodes:  entirely submit.  If lymph nodes are intraparotid, do not attempt to dissect them out of the gland; instead, submit them together with the surrounding gland tissue.

Internal use only

Received without fixative/in formalin, labeled _____ and “_____”, is a __ x __ x __ cm left/right superficial/deep/tail of parotid/submandibular/sublingual gland with attached fat/muscle/facial nerve (nerve length = __ cm, diameter = __ cm).  The external surface is _____ (color, fatty, smooth, rough, focally transected, involved by tumor) and is inked _____.  There is a __ x __ x __ cm encapsulated/unencapsulated round/ovoid/irregular mass, __ cm from the nearest margin/involving the resection margin.  It has a _____ (color, consistency, necrotic, infiltrative) cut surface.  It does/does not appear to invade the facial nerve.  A __ x __ x __ cm tan-brown intraglandular lymph node does/does not appear involved by tumor.  The surrounding parenchyma is _____ (color, lobulated, largely replaced by fat, fibrotic).  Representatively submitted as follows:

#__ - #__ = tumor with margins

#__ = tumor with possible extraglandular extension

#__ - #__ = one intraglandular lymph node divided into two cassettes

#__ = facial nerve margin, en face

#__ = atrophic parenchyma

#__ = hemorrhagic parenchyma

__ blocks, __ H&E