ENT Insights and Blogs

Head and neck cancer encompasses malignancies of the throat, voice box, mouth, nose, salivary glands, and neck lymph nodes. In Singapore, nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) is particularly prevalent, especially in men of Chinese ethnicity. Key warning signs include a persistent neck lump, hoarseness lasting more than 3 weeks, a mouth ulcer that won't heal, and one-sided nasal or ear symptoms. Treatment combines surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy depending on cancer type and sta

The majority of neck lumps in adults are benign — most are reactive lymph nodes responding to infection that resolve within a few weeks. However, a lump that persists beyond two to three weeks, is growing, or is accompanied by voice change, difficulty swallowing, or unexplained weight loss should be assessed promptly by an ENT specialist.

A diagnosis of thyroid cancer is frightening, and the prospect of surgery adds another layer of anxiety. One of the most important things I try to convey to patients at the outset is this: thyroid cancer is one of the most treatable cancers we know of.

There are four main types of thyroid cancer — papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic — each with different biological behaviour, treatment approach, and prognosis. Papillary thyroid cancer, the most common type, has an excellent long-term prognosis with appropriate surgical and radioiodine treatment, while anaplastic thyroid cancer is rare but aggressive and requires urgent multidisciplinary management.

Thyroid surgery — thyroidectomy — is recommended for thyroid nodules that are malignant or suspicious on biopsy, significantly enlarged goitres causing compression symptoms, or hyperthyroidism not controlled by medication. Performed by an experienced ENT head and neck surgeon, the risks to the recurrent laryngeal nerve and parathyroid glands are minimised, and most patients are discharged within one to two days.