Research Article
Persistent Unilateral Sore Throat: Should It Be Included in the 2-Week Wait Referral Criteria by NICE
Table 3
Cancer detection rate in a patient referred through 2 ww pathway and NOT compliant with NICE guidelines.
| Symptoms | Frequency (%) | Cancer positive | Included in 2005 NICE guidelines | Included in 2015 NICE guidelines | PPV (%) |
| The sensation of a lump in the throat | 181 | 14.3% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Intermittent hoarseness | 115 | 9.1% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Intermittent sore throat | 78 | 5.7% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Discomfort in throat | 78 | 5.7% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Unilateral nasal obstruction and discharge | 53 | 3.9 | 1 | No | No | 1.89 |
| Unilateral OME | 42 | 3.1% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Dysphagia for > 3 weeks | 33 | 2.4 | 2 | No | No | 6.06 |
| Intermittent sore throat and hoarseness | 33 | 2.4% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Unilateral nasal obstruction only | 27 | 2.1% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Presence of blood in the mouth | 24 | 1 | 1 | No | No | 4.17 |
| Unilateral nasal discharge only | 22 | 1.6% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Unexplained septum ulcer | 18 | 1.3% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Persistent unexplained facial palsy | 18 | 1.2 | 1 | No | No | 5.56 |
| Unilateral neck pain | 16 | 1.2% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Tightness throat | 12 | 0.9% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Smell disturbance | 11 | 0.8% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Unexplained septum Perforation | 9 | 0.7% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Persistent unexplained sore nose | 9 | 0.7% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Taste disturbance | 6 | 0.4% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Blood in the ear | 5 | 0.4% | 0 | No | No | 0% |
| Total | 790 | | 5 | | | |
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