On this page:

• My voice is hoarse
• I have a neck lump

 

SYMPTOM: My voice is hoarse

Hoarseness is caused by an irregular pattern of sounds coming out of the vocal cords. There are many causes for this condition. The most common one is a viral respiratory tract infection. To treat this, you should drink plenty of fluids and avoid overstraining your voice and coughing. If your voice recovers, then no medical evaluation is necessary. Any hoarseness that develops in a smoker, after an injury to the neck, without a preceding respiratory tract infection or which persists for six weeks, should be investigated by a thorough evaluation of the throat.

SYMPTOM: I have a neck lump

There are over three hundred lymph nodes on each side of the head and neck. Lymph nodes or "glands" are small pieces of tissue for the immune system. It is normal for them to swell with an infection and to stay swollen for several weeks afterwards. Any lymph node that swells without an infection or stays large for several months after an infection should be evaluated.

Because an enlarged lymph node can be the sign of a serious problem such as cancer in the head and neck, particularly if one is a smoker, proper evaluation of a neck lump requires complete evaluation of the mouth, throat, larynx and neck. In addition, a doctor may perform a flexible laryngoscopy of the throat or an aspiration of the neck lump for evaluation by a pathologist. A CAT scan or MRI may also be necessary to fully evaluate this problem. If you have a persistent neck lump, it should be evaluated without delay.