Sanderson and Ironside listed clinical findings which should result in a patient being carefully evaluated in order to exclude a cancer of the head and neck. The authors are from Western General Hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Clinical Finding
Duration
hoarseness
> 6 weeks
ulceration of the oral mucosa
> 3 weeks
oral swelling or mass
> 3 weeks
dysphagia
> 3 weeks
unresolved neck masses, especially those that are hard
> 3 weeks
Any of the following:
(1) orbital mass
(2) neuropathy involving a cranial nerve
(3) unexplained tooth motility (not due to periodontal disease or trauma)
(4) unilateral nasal obstruction, especially if a purulent discharge is present
(5) a persistent red or reddish-white patch of the oral mucosa
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