Can your lymph nodes become swollen from having other types of cancer other than lymphoma? and would that show up in a biopsy?

Normally swollen, painless lymph nodes are- rather, could be- one symptom of lymphoma because the cancerous lymphocytes pile up at the nodes. Nodes can swell at other times for many reasons, but often they are reacting to a foreign pathogen, you know, like a virus or bacteria. When you have cancer-- and this counts for all cancers -- you don't have a foreign pathogen causing the problem. that's why our immune systems don't fight cancer, because cancer cells are human cells gone haywire, the system recognizes their humanity and ignores them.

To address your first question, very very few cancers present with swollen lymph nodes. Aside from the lymphomas, the only others I'm aware of are leukemia and thyroid cancer.

To address your second, do you mean through biopsy of a lymph node? If you do, then I think the answer would be no, because leukemia is diagnosed through a bone marrow biopsy while thyroid cancer is diagnosed through biopsy of thyroid nodule.

Was that clear?

Thank you very much, I had a lymph node removed from my neck and the results came back clear, but now four more have become enlarged and so i had a chest xray and it showed a small dence mass next to my C7 and the doctor isnt sure what it is, im having an unltrasound to find out more about it. Im just a bit clueless about everything and the doctor is being very vague which isnt helpfull

i assume the node you had excised was swollen and lymphoma was suspected. The fact that it came up clear is good news. Odd that others would then become swollen.

So your doc has ordered a biopsy, x-rays and now an ultrasound, any reason why you haven't had a PET/CT?

As for the doctor being vague, as much as it sucks on your end, it's actually probably for the best. Uncertainty is the hallmark of a mature doctor, and by saying little it's clear they're not sure and have no interest in telling you something that will be wrong.

Thats good then, we are just taking everything one step at a time until we work out whats wrong, first blood tests and they werent so good so ive had an xray and ultra sound. Turns out that mass in my neck was a a rare neck rib, so that was good news and depending on how the ultrasound turns out i think the next step is a specialist

A rare neck rib? Wow. That's interesting. And I know that these tests take longer than they seem like they should, but despite the panic and the crush for time that accompanies cancer - and i'm not saying that's what this is, I have no idea - in reality if it were, you would be best off to take the time, whatever it is, and figure it out. in lymphoma, it's very very common for people to accept the first therapy they're thrown into, and often enough it turns out that the subtype was misdiagnosed, or some other mistake was made due to hurry.

The doctor has told me he still doesnt know why they are swollen but he is pretty sure its nothing serious, he said it might be because i had glandular fever 9 years ago. He said i should just keep an eye on them for changes in size or if they get painfull etc

OK well best of luck to you. And remember that in the future if what your doctor tells you doesn't sit well with you, get a second opinion.

thank you very much for caring

So how have things turned out for you? Good I hope?