Lump in the neck or throat

A lump in the neck or throat is most likely to be one of the following:

• swollen glands usually a sign of infection, such as a cold or glandular fever ; the glands tend to go down when you recover
• acyst a harmless fluid-filled lump that may disappear on its own without treatment (it will feel like a pea and roll under the skin when you press it)
• a skin tag a harmless, knobbly wart-like growth that hangs off the skin and can be left alone
• a goitre an abnormal swelling of the thyroid gland in the neck that causes a lump to form in the throat

Click on the links above for more information about these conditions.