Our one-stop neck lump clinic offers full diagnostic and treatment services including:

• Specialist examination and opinion for neck lumps / neck nodes/ thyroid nodules
• Ultrasound Scan
• Ultrasound guided Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy (FNA)
• Upper airway endoscopy
• CT scanning
• Access to a multidisciplinary clinic

We are experts in thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer, head and neck cancer and  neck lymph node assessment.

Urgent appointments available.

Neck Lump – Causes

In most cases, neck lumps are perfectly innocent and are caused by swollen neck lymph nodes. Nodes are distributed throughout the body and many are situated in the neck: their primary role is to fight infection. Therefore, when an infection occurs (for example a cold, laryngitis, tonsillitis, tooth infections), the lymph nodes can often swell and become tender whilst they do their job. The lymph nodes will usually return to normal once the infection has gone but this can take weeks to months.

Occasionally, enlarged lymph nodes are cancerous. The cancer can spread to them from primary sites such as oral tongue cancer, throat cancer, larynx cancer, skin cancer and lip cancer, thyroid cancer and salivary gland cancers and in special circumstances, cancers of the nasal cavity or nasopharynx.

Many other benign conditions also present as a lump in the neck such as  thyroid nodules, congenital lumps such as thyroglossal duct cyst or branchial cleft cyst and salivary gland tumours.

Primary malignancies of the salivary glands and thyroid cancer also present as a lump in the neck. Generally cancerous neck lumps are non tender and tend to be larger, harder and more irregular than benign neck lumps.

If swelling or a lump is present with no corresponding infection, it’s wise to see your GP or a specialist.

Neck Lump – Symptoms and Treatment

A neck lump does not always require removal. Often neck lumps are completely innocent and merely require diagnosis which is usually based on  medical history, examination, ultrasound and sometimes an ultrasound guided FNA .

The Mauranui One-Stop Neck Lump Clinic offers a comprehensive assessment of all neck lumps through diagnosis to treatment. Dr John Chaplin is an experienced, high volume, specialist thyroid and head and neck surgeon and is  an  expert in this field.

• DIAGNOSIS
• PROCEDURES
• AFTER CARE
• ONGOING SURVEILLANCE
• PRIVATE HEALTH CARE
• MULTIDISCIPLINARY CARE