Enlarged Lymph Nodes

What are Enlarged lymph nodes (Cervical lymphadenopathy) ?

Lymph nodes are kidney bean-sized small glands that are a part of the body’s immune system. They are located throughout the body including in the back. They can become swollen and enlarged (Figure 1) when your immune system is responding to a threat in your body such as an inflammation, infection or cancer. In most cases, swollen lymph nodes are a result of an infection and usually become smaller once the infection has settled. Doctors will assess patients with enlarged or swollen lymph nodes in the neck with a comprehensive clinical history, physical exam and possibly, nasoendoscopy.

If the lymph node doesn’t go away or display worrying signs such as hard or rubbery consistency, not moving easily, skin over them is warm, red or irritated, located above the collar bone, bigger than the usual inflammatory lymph node, your doctor may carry out a fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC). In this procedure, a needle will be inserted into the lump to collect sample cells from the lymph node for investigation. If the test result is inconclusive, your doctor may recommended a biopsy to remove some tissues of the lymph node or complete removal. Most of the time, lymph node biopsy can be done under local anaesthesia.