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HEAD AND NECK CANCER (INCLUDING THYROID CANCER)

Signs and symptoms of concern are:

  • unexplained lumps in the neck
  • swelling of parotid or submandibular salivary glands
  • unexplained sore or painful throat
  • unilateral pain in head or neck
  • unexplained ulceration or mass in mouth
  • unexplained painful, bleeding or swollen red and white patches on the buccal mucosa
  • thyroid swelling

 BRAIN & CNS CANCER Referral

  • symptoms related to the CNS
  • headache of recent onset accompanied by features suggestive of raised intracranial pressure
  • new, qualitatively different, unexplained headache that becomes progressively severe
  • suspected recent-onset seizures.

Urgent referral should be considered

  • unexplained cognitive impairment, behavioural disturbance, slowness or combination of these
  • subacute focal neurological deficit
  • personality change with no reasonable explanation

NICE NG12. Suspected cancer: recognition and referral; 2015 (updated 2021). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12 

 

See also Cancer

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