Tumours of the head and neck
First published: 29 November 2019
Summary
All anatomical structures in the head and neck may be the origin of tumours both benign and malignant. The commonest malignancy is squamous cell carcinoma of skin, resulting predominantly from sun exposure, followed by squamous cell carcinoma arising from the mucosa of the upper aerodigestive tract. A common presentation of malignant head and neck tumours is the development of a neck lump due to a secondary deposit in a lymph node. All persistent neck lumps should be investigated to exclude malignancy. Fine-needle aspiration cytology provides a definitive pathological diagnosis in a high proportion of cases. A significant proportion of benign tumours can be diagnosed on their characteristic clinical features alone.
