Table of contents
Neck mass
Guidelines
Key sources
The following summarized guidelines for the evaluation and management of neck mass are prepared by our editorial team based on guidelines from the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation (AAO-HNSF 2017).
1
Classification and risk stratification
Risk of malignancy
As per AAO-HNSF 2017 guidelines:
Classify patients with a neck mass as being at increased risk for malignancy if the patient lacks a history of infectious etiology and the mass has been present for ≥ 2 weeks without significant fluctuation, or if the mass is of uncertain duration.
B
Classify patients with a neck mass as being at increased risk for malignancy if the mass is fixed to adjacent tissues, displays a firm consistency, has a size > 1.5 cm, and/or there is ulceration of overlying skin.
B
Diagnostic investigations
Clinical assessment: as per AAO-HNSF 2017 guidelines, conduct a history and physical examination for adults with a neck mass to identify those patients with other suspicious findings that represent an increased risk for malignancy.
B
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Diagnostic imaging
Ancillary tests
Diagnostic procedures
Fine-needle aspiration
As per AAO-HNSF 2017 guidelines:
Perform FNA rather than open biopsy as the first-line method to obtain a tissue sample in patients with a neck mass deemed at increased risk for malignancy.
B
Complete a thorough and appropriate evaluation until a diagnosis is obtained in patients with a cystic neck mass who are deemed at high risk of malignancy. Avoid assuming prematurely that the mass is benign.
B
Medical management
Therapeutic procedures
Examination under anesthesia: as per AAO-HNSF 2017 guidelines, perform an examination of the upper aerodigestive tract under anesthesia prior to open biopsy for patients with a neck mass who are at increased risk for malignancy and in whom a primary site has not been identified via FNA, imaging, and/or ancillary tests.
B