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While most do not pose a health risk, some can become infected and must be surgically removed, some can become the site for cancer in adults, and others can be surgically removed for cosmetic reasons. The following are the most common types of such growths:

Another type of neck lump is a branchial cleft cyst or sinus. This congenital lesion is most frequently found in the neck of children 2-10 years old and it represents an embryologic error in the development of the neck. They generally change in size and shape and are often first detected after an upper respiratory tract infection, which causes enlargement of the mass. Most branchial cleft cysts are located in front of the stenocleidomastoid muscle in the lower neck and they may have an external opening or pore from which drains a mucus-like material. Branchial cleft cysts or sinuses should be removed to assure the diagnosis, improve appearance, prevent infection, and prevent it as being a site for a potential cancer in adulthood.

A thyroglossal duct cyst, a mobile, soft nontender, round swelling, is also found in the center of the neck. It arises as a congenital remnant of the thyroglossal duct, which is a temporary duct, that, during fetal stages, connects the developing thyroid gland and the tongue. Once the thyroid gland descends from its original location, this duct normally closes. A child with this kind of cyst may undergo diagnostic imaging studies such as an ultrasound of the neck to determine whether the thyroid gland is in its normal position. Your child's doctor will probably want to have this kind of a cyst and its underlying attachment to the hyoid bone (located at the base of the tongue to support the tongue) surgically removed, to prevent infection and degeneration to malignancy in adulthood.