Persistent Unilateral Sore Throat: Should It Be Included in the 2-Week Wait Referral Criteria by NICE

Table 2

Cancer detection rate in patients referred through 2 ww pathway and compliant with NICE guidelines.

Symptoms	Frequency (%)		Cancer positive	Included in 2005; NICE guidelines	Included in 2015 NICE guidelines	PPV (%)
Neck lump: new or persisting for > 3 weeks	270	19.8%	32	Yes	Yes	12.2%
Hoarseness Persisting for > 3 weeks	147	11.1%	10	Yes	Yes	6.8%
Persistent painful sore throat	137	10%	9	Yes	No	6.5%
Unilateral neck pain and otalgia with normal otoscopy	23	1.3%	1	Yes	No	4.3%
Total	577		52			9%