This is because they can grow big enough to press down on surrounding nerves or other organs, causing pain. This being said, leukaemia or lymphoma (another type of blood cancer) can cause painful lymph nodes on occasion. It is important to get painless lumps checked out by a GP to determine the cause of the enlargement.

They are painless – Rather surprisingly, tenderness, redness or warmth of the nodes is actually a good sign as it is more likely to indicate infection of the node.I carried on going to work but I didn’t seem to be getting any better. “ I was told I had a bad case of tonsillitis and was given two weeks’ worth of antibiotics. After a couple of weeks of it not going down, I made an appointment to see the doctor. “ I noticed a swollen gland near my collar bone. Make sure you visit your GP if your lymph nodes don’t seem to be improving within this time or aren’t getting better with antibiotics. They last for longer than two weeks – Swollen glands caused by an infection will normally go down within two or three weeks (i.e until the infection has been naturally dealt with).Spotting the difference between harmless and harmful lymph nodes may be crucial in diagnosing leukaemia early.Īlthough swollen lymph nodes are nearly always caused by infection or reaction to an allergy, there are a few things you can look out for to help spot the difference between leukaemia and infection: ”Ĭertain characteristics such as the size of the lymph nodes, the way they feel or how long they last can help to differentiate swelling caused by infection from that caused by leukaemia or another type of blood cancer. I went back and was signed off again with a different antibiotic. However, at the end of the week, I was no better. He thought it was tonsillitis, so gave me antibiotics. “ I made an appointment to go see my GP after work. However, because of this, swollen lymph nodes can easily be mistaken as harmless when in fact they could be a warning sign of something more serious, such as blood cancer. When enlarged they can be felt or seen as raised lumps underneath the skin, most commonly in the neck, the armpits, or in the groin area.įor the vast majority of cases, swollen lymph nodes indicate nothing more than the fact that your body is fighting off an infection such as tonsillitis or even a common cold. Also referred to as “swollen glands”, lymph nodes are pea-sized lumps of tissue that contain white blood cells. Your doctor will discuss each of these options, including their pros and cons, before starting your treatment.Swollen lymph nodes occur as a symptom of leukaemia in approximately 20% of patients prior to their diagnosis. These include surgery to remove the tumor, chemotherapy, and radiation. If your lymph node swelling is due to a cancerous tumor, there are a number of treatment options. The area may be packed with gauze to ensure healing. Then they’ll make a small cut that allows the infected pus to escape. To do this, your doctor will first numb the area. Swelling will usually go down quickly when the abscess is drained. If a lymph node itself becomes infected, an abscess may form. In other cases, a course of antibiotics may be used to help the body fight the infection that’s causing lymph node swelling. Elevating the swollen area can also help relieve inflammation. Your doctor is likely to advise using a fever-reducing painkiller, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), along with a warm compress. If treatment is required, it can vary from self-treatment to surgery and other therapies. children, whose active immune systems can result in frequent swelling.healthy adults whose bodies are already conquering the infection.For example, treatment is unlikely to be recommended for: In some cases, treatment may not be necessary. Treatment for lymph node inflammation depends on its cause.

Are lymph nodes in back of neck