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What Causes Left Supraclavicular Swelling, Severe Fatigue And Night Sweats?
Question: I have left supraclavicular swelling for several months now. Painless. It feels very soft. I also have severe fatigue bordering on weakness some days. I am scheduled for a CT scan Mon, but I'm freaking out because all I see anywhere is cancer, cancer, cancer. I have had no weight loss, no fevers, but do have night sweats about 2-3 times a week. I work with someone who had mono and may have been exposed to TB at work.
Brief Answer:
A step by step method will help. Do not panic.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
I have gone very carefully through the details provided. The swelling could indeed be an enlarged lymph node. However, most commonly lymph nodes are enlarged due to some localized soft tissue infection or inflammation within the region which drains to that lymph node. Tuberculosis is included in the list. Cancer is not the only possibility although it is one of the most severe ones and hence you find information about it all around. You may get the CT scan done and that would identify if the swelling is indeed a lymph node or whether it is something else. If the extent of CT scan is extensive enough, it will show if there is any tumor (which you fear) in the area drained. However, an MRI is far better in identifying soft tissue pathology. Be it CT Scan or MRI, none would indicate the cause of swelling if it is a lymph node without any detected tumor. In that case a lymph node biopsy would be needed as a negative result on FNAC does not necessarily rule out the possibility of a cancer.
All I can say is that you need not be apprehensive as you have no weight loss or other ominous symptoms. So chances are that it is just due to some minor infection. Let your doctor find out.
Regards
A step by step method will help. Do not panic.
Detailed Answer:
Thanks for asking on HealthcareMagic.
I have gone very carefully through the details provided. The swelling could indeed be an enlarged lymph node. However, most commonly lymph nodes are enlarged due to some localized soft tissue infection or inflammation within the region which drains to that lymph node. Tuberculosis is included in the list. Cancer is not the only possibility although it is one of the most severe ones and hence you find information about it all around. You may get the CT scan done and that would identify if the swelling is indeed a lymph node or whether it is something else. If the extent of CT scan is extensive enough, it will show if there is any tumor (which you fear) in the area drained. However, an MRI is far better in identifying soft tissue pathology. Be it CT Scan or MRI, none would indicate the cause of swelling if it is a lymph node without any detected tumor. In that case a lymph node biopsy would be needed as a negative result on FNAC does not necessarily rule out the possibility of a cancer.
All I can say is that you need not be apprehensive as you have no weight loss or other ominous symptoms. So chances are that it is just due to some minor infection. Let your doctor find out.
Regards
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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