Indications for elective treatment of the neck are not well defined in salivary gland tumors. We retrospectively reviewed 153 cases of malignant salivary gland tumors treated from 1965 to 1985 at the Hospital de Oncología, Mexico City. There were 106 parotid cancers, 26 in the submandibular gland and 21 in minor salivary glands. Median follow-up was 48 months. In T1-2 tumors there was a 12% incidence of nodal metastases as compared with 27% in T3-4 cancers (P = 0.01). Thirty-six elective neck dissections were performed. Patients with high-grade tumors had an increased risk (50%) of occult node metastases, while no cases were found in low-grade carcinomas (P < 0.05). The risk of neck recurrence was higher in N+ (23.5%) than in N0 patients (3.2%). The 5-year actuarial survival was significantly better in low-grade tumors (78%), T1-2 tumors (85%) and negative nodes (63%) than in high-grade neoplasms (49%), T3-4 tumors (35%) and positive nodes (P = 0.001, P = 0.001 and P = 0.04, respectively).