MercyAscot Neck Lump Clinic

As part of the MercyAscot Head and Neck Service, our Neck Lump Clinic provides a one-stop diagnostic service for patients with worrying neck lumps. We pride ourselves on meeting international best practices with an excellent standard of care. Our multi-disciplinary team is highly experienced in the assessment, diagnosis, and management of neck lumps.

Comprehensive diagnosis in just one visit

MercyAscot Neck Lump Clinic is a Southern Cross Affiliated Provider. We’ll accurately diagnose patients’ neck lumps in just one visit (view the Newshub report on ‘Auckland’s Speediest Cancer Clinic’), dramatically reducing the long wait times that can be experienced by patients.

The team at MercyAscot Head and Neck Service is committed to eliminating delays in diagnosis and we work together to deliver the best possible care for our patients. Our clinics remove the need for multiple appointments, providing assessment and treatment plans in a single appointment. In addition to our Epsom location, the Neck Lump Clinic is now also available in Takapuna. 

Patient benefits

- Only one 45-minute appointment

- Assessment by a multi-disciplinary team at every clinic (radiologist, pathologist, head and neck surgeons)

- Comprehensive diagnostic service, including:

- Ultrasound assessment (neck and thyroid lumps)

- Immediate ultrasound-guided fine needle aspirate biopsy performed if required

- Immediate biopsy assessment if required

- Clinical assessment, explanation of test results, and treatment planning

Our results so far

- 3,688 neck lump patients assessed

- 98% of patients receive a diagnosis during just one visit 

- 52% of patients discharged with reassurance after a single appointment

- 11% cancer diagnosis

* Data from 5/4/24

When to ask your GP or family doctor for a referral to our Neck Lump Clinic

Ask for an urgent referral if you discover neck lumps that meet any one of the following criteria:​

  • Increasing in size
  • Greater than 2 cm in size
  • Present for more than 3 weeks and has changed shape/size
  • Present for 6 weeks or more
  • Widespread lymphadenopathy (swelling of the lymph nodes) greater than 2cm
  • ‘B’ symptoms: night sweats, generalised itch, weight loss, fever

Adapted from ‘Guidelines for the Management of Neck Lumps’, Pan-Birmingham Cancer Network 2010.

If you are worried about any symptoms, talk to your GP or family doctor and ask for a referral to the MercyAscot Head and Neck Service.