How will I know I have head and neck cancer?

You won’t know if you have head and neck cancer until your doctor has talked to you, completed an examination and done some tests.

The tests might include:

• an ultrasound, which uses soundwaves to build a picture of the inside of your head or neck
• a biopsy, when a tiny bit of tissue is taken with a needle, and this is looked at using a microscope.

You might then be sent to see an ear, nose and throat doctor who is a specialist. The ear, nose and throat doctor may:

• take a look inside your mouth, feel your neck and then use a small thin tube with a light on its end to look inside your nose and throat
• arrange for you to have a CT scan, a PET scan or an MRI scan to have a closer look
• test your eyesight and hearing. 

Most people who have these tests find out they don’t have cancer, but it’s important to check.