Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week® (OHANCAW) is a weeklong series of events promoting awareness of oral, head, and neck cancer, highlighted by a day of free cancer screenings throughout the U.S.
OHANCAW 2023 is April 16-22
This information is provided solely for educational purposes and does not represent medical advice, nor is it a substitute for seeking professional medical care.
AAO-HNSF Clinical Practice Guideline: Evaluation of the Neck Mass in Adults
The primary purpose of this guideline is to promote the efficient, effective, and accurate diagnostic workup of neck masses to ensure that adults with potentially malignant disease receive prompt diagnosis and intervention to optimize outcomes.
Tools from the Head and Neck Cancer Alliance:
Screening Information for Clinicians
Patient Health Resources
Head and neck cancers are curable if caught early. Fortunately, most of them produce early symptoms. You should know the potential warning signs so you can alert your physician as soon as possible.
“Oral, head and neck cancer” typically refers to squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue, throat, and voice box. However, “head and neck cancer” also refers to other types of cancer that arises in the nasal cavity, sinuses, lips, mouth, thyroid glands, salivary glands, throat, or voice box.
A neck mass is an abnormal lump in the neck. Neck lumps or masses can be any size—large enough to see and feel, or they can be very small.
Why Do I Need to Know about My Neck Mass? What Should I Do? How Do I Check the Size of My Neck Mass? What Else Should I Look for? How Should I Follow-up with My Healthcare Provider?
Examination under anesthesia is performed by a surgeon to evaluate the back of your throat, voice box, the back of your nose, upper trachea (breathing tube) and upper esophagus (swallowing tube).
A biopsy involves taking a sample of tissue from the neck mass. This sample of tissue is looked at under the microscope by a pathologist (a specialized doctor), to make a diagnosis. A biopsy is a common test to check for cancer.
What Does it Mean that I Have a Neck Mass at Increased Risk for Malignancy? What Do I Do Next? How Urgently Should I Be Evaluated? What Questions Will My Doctor Ask? And more!
Fine needle aspiration (FNA), also called fine needle biopsy, is a type of biopsy where a needle is inserted into a lump or mass to collect a sample of cells.
