A lymphoma lump will tend to be painless and feel rubbery when touched. Swollen lymph nodes caused by other conditions like the flu can make your lymph nodes swell and feel tender when touched. A lymphoma lump also tends to be movable under the skin versus hard and unmovable.
They are hard or unmovable – Unfortunately, apart from being painless and abnormally large, swollen lymph nodes in leukaemia or lymphoma tend to feel quite similar to infected lymph nodes. However, occasionally they can feel very hard and cannot be moved when pushed.
Those near the body's surface often get big enough to feel with your fingers, and some can even be seen. But if there are only a few cancer cells in a lymph node, it may look and feel normal. Lymph nodes deep in the body cannot be felt or seen.
What does a swollen lymph node feel like? Swollen lymph nodes are often painless, moveable, and have a soft, “rubbery” feel to them, says Eric Jacobsen, MD, clinical director of the Adult Lymphoma Program at Dana-Farber.
Usually lymph nodes are not enlarged and thus not able to be felt, but if you have previously had an infection (such as tonsillitis) you may have noticed and felt lymph node becoming enlarged, painful and tender. Lymph nodes can also become enlarged due to cancer cells lodging in them.
Malignancies are reported in as few as 1.1 percent of primary-care patients with swollen lymph nodes, according to a review in American Family Physician.
If you have found a pea-sized or bean-sized node, this is normal. Normal lymph nodes are smaller than ½ inch or 12 mm. Don't look for lymph nodes, because you can always find some. They are easy to find in the neck and groin.
Lymph nodes measuring more than 1 cm in the short axis diameter are considered malignant.
With lymphoma, the lymph nodes often grow slowly and may be there for months or years before they're noticed. But sometimes they grow very quickly. Usually, the swollen nodes don't hurt. But some people say their lumps ache or are painful.
A swollen lymph node does not necessarily mean the infection is severe. Some people's lymph nodes swell very easily, and a person has no other symptoms.
Often, after an infection has passed, a lymph node or group of nodes that reacted to the infection can remain enlarged for months (reactive adenopathy). While this is a normal process, reactive adenopathy needs to be differentiated from worrisome processes that also can affect lymph nodes.
Unlike most cancers, rates of Hodgkin lymphoma are highest among teens and young adults (ages 15 to 39 years) and again among older adults (ages 75 years or older). White people are more likely than Black people to develop non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and men are more likely than women to develop lymphoma.
Blood Tests for Lymphoma
Blood tests are essential to accurately diagnosing this complex disease. These tests can show whether you have lymphoma cells or abnormal levels of normal cells: Blood smear: We take a drop of blood and look at it under a microscope.
The best way to find lymphoma early is to pay attention to possible signs and symptoms. One of the most common symptoms is enlargement of one or more lymph nodes, causing a lump or bump under the skin which is usually not painful. This is most often on the side of the neck, in the armpit, or in the groin.
Do not squeeze, drain, or puncture a painful lump. Doing this can irritate or inflame the lump, push any existing infection deeper into the skin, or cause severe bleeding. Get extra rest. Slow down just a little from your usual routine.
Inguinal lymphadenopathy is common, with nodes enlarged up to 1 to 2 cm in diameter in many healthy adults, particularly those who spend time barefoot outdoors. Benign reactive lymphadenopathy and infection are the most common etiologies, and inguinal lymphadenopathy is of low suspicion for malignancy.
See your doctor if you're concerned or if your swollen lymph nodes: Have appeared for no apparent reason. Continue to enlarge or have been present for two to four weeks. Feel hard or rubbery, or don't move when you push on them.
There is a link between can stress cause swollen lymph nodes and mental illness. Swelling lymph nodes can occur when we face stress triggers and is a physical symptom of mental illness. For example, our body works so hard to feel good that our brain can release signals telling the body it feels ill.
For stage I NHL, the 5-year relative survival rate is more than 86%. For stage II the 5-year relative survival rate is 78%, and for stage III it is more than 72%. For stage IV NHL, the 5-year relative survival rate is almost 64%.
Lymph nodes are usually too small to feel. However, sometimes they can be felt in slim people as smooth pea-sized lumps, usually in the groin.
If swollen lymph nodes are only found in one area of your body, it's called localized swollen lymph nodes. And most of the time, you have a virus so there's no treatment truly needed and it will just run its course. The nodes will gradually shrink back to their normal size.
Don't squeeze the nodes.
Poking and squeezing lymph nodes may keep them from shrinking back to normal size. Remember that it may take a month for the nodes to return to normal. They won't completely disappear.