It is natural for our patients to be worried when they have a lymph node, whether in their neck or another area. Because in such a situation, the first thing that comes to our patients' minds is that this growth may be a malignant tumor.
However, cancer is not the only cause of lymph node enlargement. Approximately 80% of lymph node enlargements, especially in the neck, are due to reasons other than cancer.
Let's start from the beginning to relieve your concerns on this issue.
Lymph nodes are organs of our body's defense system. They are found everywhere in the body. Under normal conditions, the size of the lymph nodes is below 1 cm. Lymph nodes in the groin can be considered normal up to 2 cm.
The condition popularly described as lymph node enlargement is called "Lymphadenopathy" in the medical literature.
Lymph node enlargement;
Lymph nodes with a diameter of more than 1 cm in the neck and armpit in the groin and over 2 cm in the groin are not normal and should be investigated.
It is useful to investigate lymph node enlargement that does not shrink, especially after drug treatment.
1.5 cm in the abdominal cavity and the space within the rib cage and around the heart. Lymph nodes larger than 100 cm are considered pathological and must be investigated.
The causes of lymphadenopathy can be grouped under the following main headings:
Infections.
Lymph node cancers (lymphoma) and other cancers
Leukemias
Autoimmune (the immune system attacking its own body) diseases
Drugs
Rheumatic diseases
Storage diseases (accumulation of some molecules in the cells that form the lymph tissue)
If your doctor evaluates the palpable lymph node as abnormally large, in other words pathological, you should question/inquire about all these diseases. He/she should perform your examination and ask for the necessary tests at the end of the evaluation.
In the following cases, your doctor first thinks of infection as the cause of the growth:
Pain
>It has appeared recently
Redness on the overlying skin
The source of infection is visible (tonsils, nasal passages) edema, sinusitis, intraoral etc.)
It is soft to the touch during examination
In the following cases, your doctor will determine the cause of the growth as cancer. It brings to mind:
The patient is 40 years of age or older
It has been present for weeks or months
It should be painless
It should be sticky together, multiple and rubbery.
It should be hard and sticky together.
Of course, there are exceptions to the above. Your doctor will definitely review these diagnoses according to your clinical situation.
When evaluating lymph node enlargement;
a. Your doctor must take a detailed history and decide whether the lymphadenopathy is pathological or not.
b. If it is evaluated as pathological, the cause must be investigated.
c. If there are no accompanying findings, it is observed for two or three weeks. If your doctor detects findings suggestive of infection, medication may be started.
d. The lymph node is re-evaluated after 2 - 3 weeks of observation. If the size remains the same or increases, further examinations should be considered, including removing the lymph node and having it examined by pathology.
Let's take care of ourselves and therefore our health. Let's not forget that; “He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.”
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