From 1939 through 1973, 2,807 patients with salivary gland tumors received definitive treatment at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. This included 1,965 patients (70%) with parotid gland lesions, 244 patients (8%) with neoplasms in the submandibular gland, and 607 patients (22%) with tumors which arose in the predominantly mucus secreting glands (minor salivary) which line the upper aerodigestive tract. The proportion with malignant tumors was 25, 43, and 82% in the parotid, submandibular and minor salivary glands, respectively; benign tumors occurred more often in women. Mucoepidermoid, acinic cell and most adenocarcinomas were subdivided according to histologic grade and all patients were retrospectively staged according to criteria established by the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging. Treatment was almost exclusively surgical and the extent of the operation performed depended on the extent of the tumor rather than its histology. In patients with malignant parotid tumors, the facial nerve was sacrificed only if it was adherent to or directly involved by the tumor. Lymphadenectomy was usually reserved for those patients who had palpable metastases. Prolonged follow-up (10 years minimum in this study) is necessary in order to appreciate the slow growth of some salivary neoplasms. Results depended upon the complex interplay between the site of origin, the clinical stage, and the histologic appearance of the tumors. This study antedates our current interest in postoperative radiation therapy, but other reports suggest that combination therapy enhances local control.