My husband woke up with swelling and pain on left side of neck below jaw, e.r. dr mentioned lymphoma. abt not helping, what are other possibilities?

Viral infection: This could be lymph node swelling from viral process, dental process, acute onset does not indicate that this is a lymphoma at this point ..Best follow up with your physician.

Age? Smoking?: A lot depends on his age and whether he smokes and drinks. He needs to have it checked by a qualified doctor. Sometimes an abscess in the neck needs drainage, at other time a lymph node needs a work-up. In addition to lymphoma, other causes of malignancy are metastases from the throat, mouth, larynx, etc.

Salivary gland: The pain makes it less likely to be lymphoma. Most lymphomas cause rubbery, enlarged and painless lymph nodes. The fact that this occurred suddenly makes me wonder if he has an obstructed salivary gland which can be very painful and cause swelling in the area you describe, and antibiotics don't help. An infection in the head, mouth or face can cause a swollen lymph node in the same area.