[The diagnosis of a possibly malignant neck lymph node]

With reference to the case histories of four patients with a possibly malignant lymph node whose diagnoses and therapies were seriously delayed, a critical discussion is presented of the recent recommendation on this problem issued by a team from the Central Peer Review Advisory Board. It appears that the observed loss of time can be attributed in part to insufficient insight into the role and technique of lymph-node puncture in patients with a presumably malignant cervical lymph node. We propose a changed diagnostic strategy in such patients, which takes into account the patient's age and the localization of the affected lymph node.