how common is salivary gland cancer in the hiv/aids community.i recently had surgery to remove what i/the surgeon thought to be a small cyst just below my ear.imagine my surprise when i find he'd removed a plugged salivary gland.i won't even begin to describe the pain due to insufficient anesthesia.the labs came back negative but until this i had never heard of salivary gland cancer.do i need to be concerned ?

I'm not clear from your question as to whether or not you've been diagnosed with cancer. You say the "labs came back negative". If you don't have cancer (and only a pathologist can say for sure), then there is no reason to be concerned. If you do have it, then you need to see a cancer doctor as soon as possible. My reading of your query, is that you don't have it, but are concerned about it. Salivary gland cancer is not all that uncommon to an oncologist (cancer specialist). I'm not sure HIV increases the chance of you getting it. However, what does increase your chances of getting this type of cancer is cigarettes. If you are a smoker, then you now have one more reason to quit.

I'm sorry to hear about the pain you suffered.