Practice Nurse

Signs and symptoms of concern are:

unexplained lumps in the neck
swelling of parotid or submandibular salivary glands
unexplained sore or painful throat
unilateral pain in head or neck
unexplained ulceration or mass in mouth
unexplained painful, bleeding or swollen red and white patches on the buccal mucosa
thyroid swelling

BRAIN & CNS CANCER Referral

symptoms related to the CNS
headache of recent onset accompanied by features suggestive of raised intracranial pressure
new, qualitatively different, unexplained headache that becomes progressively severe
suspected recent-onset seizures.

Urgent referral should be considered

unexplained cognitive impairment, behavioural disturbance, slowness or combination of these
subacute focal neurological deficit
personality change with no reasonable explanation

NICE NG12. Suspected cancer: recognition and referral; 2015 (updated 2021). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng12

See also Cancer