Tests for head and neck cancer

If you have an abnormal-looking area that can be seen and is easy to reach, you usually have a biopsy first. A biopsy is when your doctor removes a small piece of tissue or some cells from the area.

A doctor (called a pathologist) looks at the sample under the microscope. They check for any cancer cells.

There are different ways of taking a biopsy from the head and neck area. You may have a biopsy taken during some of the following tests or on its own.

An endoscope is a long, thin, flexible tube with a light and camera on the end. Images from the camera are shown on a screen. Different types of endoscopy may be used to look at the mouth, nose and throat. You can have this test in the outpatient clinic.

Before the test, your doctor may spray your nose and throat with an anaesthetic to numb the area.

After the test, you should not eat or drink anything for about 1 to 2 hours, until the anaesthetic spray wears off. This is to make sure you do not burn your mouth or throat. It also prevents a drink going down the wrong way into your lungs when you swallow.

A nasendoscope allows your doctor to look inside your nose, the back of your nose and your throat.

The doctor gently passes a thin, flexible tube called a nasendoscope into your nose, over the back of your tongue and down into your upper throat. You might find this stage a bit uncomfortable, but it only takes about a minute.

Before the test, your doctor may numb your throat with an anaesthetic spray. Some people prefer to have the test done without the anaesthetic spray.

If you have the spray do not eat or drink anything for about 1 to 2 hours, until the anaesthetic spray wears off. This is to make sure you do not burn your mouth or throat. It also prevents a drink going down the wrong way into your lungs when you swallow.

This test itself only takes a few minutes. If you are also having a biopsy, it could take longer.

Your doctor may suggest you have a general anaesthetic so they can look at an area more closely using a larger endoscope. This test is sometimes called a panendoscopy.

You may have this test if your doctor could not see the area clearly or saw something unusual during a nasendoscopy.

During the examination, the doctor can take biopsy samples from any abnormal looking areas. You can usually have this test in a day surgery unit. Most people can go home on the same day.

If you are not able to have a general anaesthetic, you may have this test. It allows the doctor to look at your nose, throat, voicebox and gullet (oesophagus). It is sometimes called a trans-nasal flexible laryngo-oesophagoscopy (TNFLO).

You will be asked not to eat or drink for a few hours before the test. The doctor gently passes the endoscope into your nose, to the back of your throat and into your gullet. This sounds uncomfortable, but most people cope well with it. It does not usually cause problems with gagging. You usually have a biopsy taken during this test.