Question 1

can an abnormal shape of a lymph node indicate anything other than a neoplasm?

Accepted Answer

Possibly. : Sure, depends on the shape. If it's elongated and not tender then it might be more suspicious. But for the most part it requires a bit more expertise to determine if suspicious or benign.

Question 2

soy 2.5 cm lymph node which is very soft moveable and squishy it varies in size day by day. it's very irregular shaped could it be a cyst maybe?

Accepted Answer

2.5 cm cyst: 2.5 CM is rather large for a lymph node -- this is best evaluated by your primary care physician.

Question 3

are there any non-suspicious causes for a 2 cm long i-shaped, hard, irregular lump (possible lymph node) in the right supraclavicular area?

Accepted Answer

Yes: but any hard lump still needs to be checked by a doctor and possibly biopsied to be sure.

Question 4

60yo mom's mammogram found an irregular shaped, enlarged, non-fatty lymph node near breast.  any reason not cancer related? 4 masses in right breast only too

Accepted Answer

Breast lump: There are other possible causes but a biopsy is necessary to make the diagnosis and get proper treatment underway. Even breast cancer has a high success rate for response in most cases, especially after menopause.

Question 5

what size of lymph node is considered to be abnormal?

Accepted Answer

: Lymph nodes are hubs for immune system components. If there is an infection, the lymph nodes near it swell with immune system cells, antibodies, etc. Lymph nodes that are not inflammed should not be palpable (able to be felt). If you can feel lymph nodes and have other symptoms near that area, you should seek medical evaluation.

Question 6

what does a normal sized lymph node with abnormal thickening of the cortex mean?

Accepted Answer

: I do not have enough information, however I would say that the cells in the lymph node have been activated to fight, something like infection or something foreign to them, as part of immune protection of the organ or the area where it is located. The lymph nodes are likely to go back to normal when they have completed there response to the perceived threat in the body.

Question 7

is a small, flat, oval shaped, painless movable thing on the side of my neck a normal lymph node? not visible, only palpable. my brother has it too.

Accepted Answer

Could be..: Lymph node, lipoma (fat collection), cyst (pocket of fluid that is usually meaningless), fibrous scar.  If you have sweats, fever, weight loss, or if it becomes painful or begins to enlarge; then have it checked.

Question 8

what causes an abnormal lymph node near heart?

Accepted Answer

Infection, tumor: 'near the heart' usually refers to what is called the mediastinum. Enlarged lymph nodes in this area have a similar cause to those anywhere. Infections or tumor are the commonest causes. It may be an old infection of no importance. Depending on how it looks on the imaging study and how it compares to any old images, you may be advised to ignore it, get follow-up studies or have it removed.

Question 9

lymph node biopsy? what should one expect when results of a lymph node biopsy are "abnormal"?

Accepted Answer

An : An "abnormal" result may or may not be serious.

A serious result is one that is a malignant diagnosis, i.e. Cancer.  The cancer may be a "primary" in the lymph node system, i.e. Malignant lymphoma, or a metastatic tumor that has spread from a cancer originating in a distant site such as lung or gastrointestinal tract.  If malignant lymphoma is the diagnosis, additional malignant lymph node tissue may have to be obtained for additional tests to determine the exact cell of origin so that appropriate therapy can be planned.  If when the original lymph node biopsy was performed, the processing laboratory saved some of the biopsied tissue for these tests, additional surgery may not be necessary.  If the abnormal result is tumor that has spread to the lymph node from a distant site, additional testing will have to be performed to determine the site of the cancer's origin and whether the offending cancer site is amenable to surgical removal.

An "abnormal" result that is not serious is generally one in which the lymph node is said to show signs of "reactive" activity to a systemic viral disease or shows signs of an infection limited to the node itself or an infection in a distant or regional organ, e.g. Tuberculosis in the lung may spread to a lymph node in the neck, showing signs of infection there.  This is an important sign for the need of anti-tuberculous antibiotic therapy.  There may also be signs of an infection that cannot be treated with antibiotics, and additional enlarged lymph nodes are presumed to have the same infection and require surgical removal.

Question 10

can you give a general approximation of the centimeter size of an linguinal lymph node in the groin area? what is a normal size and an abnormal size?

Accepted Answer

Size doesn't matter: It's common to find nodes up to 25 mm or even more on physical exam or autopsy. If your lymph nodes are not woody or tire-rubber hard, preposterously enlarged, or very stuck to the nearby structures, stop worrying about them. When I was a kid going barefoot in the summers, I blew up a few big ones on either side. Life's hard enough without obsessing that your normal lymph nodes are lymphoma.

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Doctor answers about:

Lymph node abnormal shape

A member asked:

Can an abnormal shape of a lymph node indicate anything other than a neoplasm?

A member asked:

Soy 2.5 cm lymph node which is very soft moveable and squishy it varies in size day by day. it's very irregular shaped could it be a cyst maybe?

A member asked:

Are there any non-suspicious causes for a 2 cm long i-shaped, hard, irregular lump (possible lymph node) in the right supraclavicular area?

A member asked:

60yo mom's mammogram found an irregular shaped, enlarged, non-fatty lymph node near breast. any reason not cancer related? 4 masses in right breast only too

A member asked:

What size of lymph node is considered to be abnormal?

A member asked:

What does a normal sized lymph node with abnormal thickening of the cortex mean?

A member asked:

Is a small, flat, oval shaped, painless movable thing on the side of my neck a normal lymph node? not visible, only palpable. my brother has it too.

A member asked:

What causes an abnormal lymph node near heart?

A member asked:

Lymph node biopsy? what should one expect when results of a lymph node biopsy are "abnormal"?

A member asked:

Can you give a general approximation of the centimeter size of an linguinal lymph node in the groin area? what is a normal size and an abnormal size?

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