Does a palpable lymph node indicate cancer?

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I can understand your concern.

I have reviewed the details mentioned and the lymph node size is nearly constant. A measurement change of 0.1 mm in the short axis is not significant. Therefore I wish to assume that the lymph node has remained unchanged in the one-month follow-up scan. Also, the lymph node size is small, and therefore the possibility of an aggressive etiology is less likely.

Usually, the left supraclavicular lymph nodes are a concern if the lymph node is showing significant changes in size. In most neoplastic etiologies, a lymph node enlarges in one to six months. At the same time, it is important to know if the patient has any other cervical lymph nodes or in any other areas as part of clinical evaluation. Blood reports are also significant in some patients.

Fat is hyperechoic in ultrasound scan images (attachments have been removed to protect the patient's privacy) and is brighter. In a lymph node showing a fatty hilum, there is a nodular whitish area surrounded by a dark rim. In your image, there is a likely fat component in the lymph node in the inferior part and the dark area above it which might suggest a fatty hilum.

To confirm, I assume you have a small left supraclavicular lymph node and a slightly larger right supraclavicular lymph node measuring 7.9 x 3.4 mm (millimeters) in the most recent scan. In this situation, I will give an opinion that the right supraclavicular lymph node has not shown any significant changes and there is a likely fatty hilum. Therefore, it is possibly reactive. Ultrasound scan is a skilled technique and sometimes measurements might vary by one to two mm.

Kindly consult a specialist, and talk to them for proper guidance and treatment plan.

I hope this information will help you.

Thank you.

Hi, Thanks for writing back to us. As you might be aware measurements in ultrasound scans are subjective and even mild rotation of the lymphnode axis might show slight changes and due to this reason I will ignore 0.3 mm change in long axis. I do not find this variation significant to raise any alarms in the over all size of the lymphnode. Regards,

Hi, Thanks for writing in to us. I understand that you are aware of the significance of cortical thickeing in lymphnodes and suspicious neoplastic etiology. In the pictures shared by you, there is no obvious cortical thickening in the lymphnodes to the extent visualised. However it is important to see larger images of the lymphnodes in more than one plane for confirmation. Regards,