A head and neck “two-week wait” clinic: Cancer referrals or the worried well?

Head and neck cancer affects approximately 8–15 per 100,000 of the UK population, with marked regional variations. There is good evidence that early detection improves prognosis but unfortunately many of the initial symptoms are often non-specific. In 2000 the NHS Cancer Plan introduced the 'two-week wait'(2WW) rule to increase the speed with which patients with suspected cancer are seen by a specialist.