Maxillofacial / head and neck cancer
Definition/Description
Create and process referral request via Gateway
Red Flag Symptoms
- Unexplained ulceration in oral cavity or vermillion of lip for >3 weeks
- Unexplained swelling/ lump in oral cavity or vermillion of lip
- Red or red and white patches of oral mucosa
- Unexplained and persistent lump / mass in neck (not thyroid)
Guidelines on Management
If your patient does not meet any of the NICE defined USC criteria please liaise (by phone or Advice and Guidance) with a specialist or send them in as an urgent referral. Please do not annotate USC forms with your own criteria.
Patient awareness
- Confirm that your patient understands that they have been referred onto a “suspected cancer pathway”
- Confirm that your patient has received the information leaflet
- Confirm that your patient is available to attend an appointment within 2 weeks of this referral
Referral Criteria/Information
Additional Resources & Reference
GIRFT Best Practice Timed Diagnostic Cancer Pathways
Faster diagnostic pathways
Implementing a timed head and neck cancer diagnostic pathway
Associated Policies
There are no associated policies.
Places covered by
- vale-of-york
Hospital Trusts
- york-and-scarborough-teaching-hospitals
Date created: 28/08/2025, 16:08
Last modified: 09/09/2025, 16:07
Date of review: