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Noticed Swollen Lymph Node On Neck. Movable And Painful To Touch. Could It Be Lymphoma?

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Posted on Fri, 19 Oct 2012
Question: Hello! I am really worried about my wife, she is 33. She discovered 4 days ago a swollen lymph node on the upper part of neck. It is slightly painful when touched, moves a bit but not much and probably less than cm in size.

She visited the family doctor who said that this is probably from an infection although she has not had one. Naturally our scare is about the lymphoma. Please advise if this should be investigated further or can it really be an infection? If so, how would you differentiate it from lymphoma?

With best regards
XXXXXX
doctor
Answered by Dr. Raju A.T (12 minutes later)
Hi,

Thanks for your query.

Swollen lymphnodes if present indicate presence of infection in the vicinity.The invective focus need not be serious or severe enough to produce symptoms.Any subclinical infections with no lesions or inflammation can lead the nearest lymph nodes to be swollen.

In Lymphom,a patient presents with painless swollen lymph nodes in different parts of the body and a minimum of two sites having the lymph nodes more than 2 cms in size.Also patients present with symptoms like recurrent infections ,unexplained fever, weight loss and many other symptoms of malignancy.

Need not worry , I do not consider the lesions to be a malignancy.You can ascertain this fact by getting a test called FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology).In this test a small amount of material from the lymph node is taken using a needle and examined under microscope.This test will give a detailed insights into the cause of the swollen lymph node.

Hope I answered your query.

Wish you good health

Regards,
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Raju A.T (5 minutes later)
Thanks for a really quick and calming reply. Just one question - how long do they remain swollen until return back to normal?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Raju A.T (15 minutes later)
Hi,

Thanks for writing back.

The duration of the lymph node swelling depends on the infection in the vicinity.Most of them usually disappear within a period of a month.If not gone FNAC would be essential.

Regards,
Note: For further queries related to kidney problems Click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
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Dr. Raju A.T

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2008

Answered : 4927 Questions

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Noticed Swollen Lymph Node On Neck. Movable And Painful To Touch. Could It Be Lymphoma?

Hi,

Thanks for your query.

Swollen lymphnodes if present indicate presence of infection in the vicinity.The invective focus need not be serious or severe enough to produce symptoms.Any subclinical infections with no lesions or inflammation can lead the nearest lymph nodes to be swollen.

In Lymphom,a patient presents with painless swollen lymph nodes in different parts of the body and a minimum of two sites having the lymph nodes more than 2 cms in size.Also patients present with symptoms like recurrent infections ,unexplained fever, weight loss and many other symptoms of malignancy.

Need not worry , I do not consider the lesions to be a malignancy.You can ascertain this fact by getting a test called FNAC (Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology).In this test a small amount of material from the lymph node is taken using a needle and examined under microscope.This test will give a detailed insights into the cause of the swollen lymph node.

Hope I answered your query.

Wish you good health

Regards,