Lymph Node Enlargement: Common Causes and Diagnosis

Dear Ask The Doctor: My 4yr old son has had a swollen lymph node in his neck that we have noticed for over 2mths now. the dr we saw has put him on 2 lots of antibiotics now and its still there the two glands under it are now starting to become enlarged he has been well all of this time he does get the occasional night sweats, he hasnt really lost wait but he is a hard child to gain weight,no fevers, has started with really smelly feet (has never been a problem before, isnt overtired or lythargic, eating as normal. his face will on occasion become red and the part around his nose will go white. he has had blood tests and they are normal. he is scheduled for a removal of the lymph node. is it possible he has lymphoma?

Lymphoma is relatively rare in toddlers. Although, it can still happen. Most of your son’s symptoms are non-specific. Lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement) may have various causes: viral infection, bacterial infection (TB, Streptococcus), tumors, etc. If the lymhadenopathy does not change in character (same size) 4 weeks after antibiotic treatment, a lymph node biopsy is always warranted to determine the exact cause. A lymph node biopsy can tell if the cause is viral, bacterial or a tumor. It is too early to tell if he has lymphoma, but it is more likely he has other causes. The biopsy results may take 1-2 weeks because it will be processed first before it will be sliced and studied under the microscope. May I ask if a chest xray was done too? Chest xrays would typically show lymph node enlargements in patients with lymphoma. It may be distressing waiting for the results of the biopsy but it is very sensitive and specific. I do hope all will turn out well with your son. Take care and I wish you well always.