Between 1944 and 1985, 50 patients with minor salivary gland tumors of the lip and buccal mucosa were treated at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center: 19 with lip and 31 with buccal mucosa tumors. The male-to-female ratios were 2.8:1 for lip and 1:2.9 for the buccal mucosa tumors. Patient age at presentation ranged from 18 to 98 years with a median of 55 years. Treatment consisted of surgery alone for 28 patients, radiotherapy in 9 patients, and combined therapy for 13. Adenoid cystic carcinoma was the predominant histologic type, accounting for 21 (42%) tumors. Risk for recurrence was influenced by histology, the presence of perineural invasion, and the location of the primary tumor. Six patients developed recurrent disease; all six had adenoid cystic carcinoma. The therapeutic approach and the rationale for combined treatment of these neoplasms are discussed.