13 yr old son has1.5cm lymph node on his l neck and an enlarged l tonsil. wbc is normal / no symptoms. abt no help. ent wants to remove node & tonsils

Tonsils: Enlarged tonsils arent necessarily an indication to take tonsils out. If you child is not snoring, has sleep apnea , mouth breather or frequent strep jnfection it may not be necessary. The node is no doubt due to possible tonsillar infection. I would seek a second opinion from a pediatric ENT specialist.

Could be reasonable: If only one tonsil is enlarged, it can be a concerning situation for a problem like lymphoma, especially with a lymph node on the same side of the neck. It could be fine as well. That is why they have recommended that course of treatment. Lymphoma can be missed with a needle biopsy. Another option is tonsillectomy first and neck biopsy if the tonsils are clear, but that would be 2 anesthetics.