a lump in his throat

Question
Over the last two years my dog, a brittany spaniel, has developed a lump in his throat.  If he were a person it would be similar to an "Adams Apple".  When I first noticed it I took him to the vet and it was about the size of a bean.  Now it is about 3 times that size.  The Vet said it is very tricky operating on a dog's neck and suggested a biopsy or just leave it for a while and see what developes.  We chose the later hoping it would remain the same size.  A friend said their dog had the same thing and in an accident the lump broke and the dog went downhill very quickly and had to be put down.  Is this a common affliction for dogs?  Is an operation that difficult?  He's 11 years old now and very healthy otherwise.  He's my best bud!  Any suggestions?

Answer
What I would recommend is to have your vet take a needle aspirate of the lump.  S/he can look at that small sample of cells under the microscope and get an idea of what it may be.

I can not really comment on difficulty of surgery since I have not seen your dog.