Evaluation of symptoms occurring in malignant head and neck tumours in patients in the United Kingdom
Authors:
L. Adamová; A. Alyousuf; Z. Awad
Authors‘ workplace:
Klinika ORL a chirurgie hlavy a krku, St. Mary’s Hospital Londýn, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
Published in:
Otorinolaryngol Foniatr, 69, 2020, No. 3, pp. 111-115.
Category:
Original Article
Overview
Introduction: Ear, nose and throat department at St. Mary’s Hospital receives an increasing number of referrals by primary care for patients with suspected head and neck cancer. The aim of the study was to identify symptoms with high predictive value of cancer.
Material and Methods: The source of information was CERNER, an electronic patient database, where information from medical reports, results and referral forms from primary care was retrieved.
Results: From August 2017 to April 2018, 927 patients were referred to the ENT department with suspected cancer by the primary care. Analysis of the results revealed that the most common cancer site was oropharynx. The neck lump was evaluated as the symptom with the highest incidence of cancer diagnosis in head and neck area. Overall, 3.34% of patients were diagnosed with primary head and neck malignancy.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the neck lump was the symptom with the highest predictive value of cancer and thus these patients should be still referred by the way of the two week wait referral to the specialised head and neck clinics. Patients referred with symptoms such as sense of foreign body in the throat, throat discomfort or ear symptoms could be initially examined in a general otorinolaryngology clinic as these symptoms were evaluated as symptoms with very low or zero occurrence of malignant tumour in the head and neck area.
Keywords:
Oropharynx – suspected – cancer – neck lump
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Labels
Audiology Paediatric ENT ENT (Otorhinolaryngology)Article was published in
Otorhinolaryngology and Phoniatrics
2020 Issue 3
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