Symptoms
A lymph node swelling in the armpit is noticeable through a “knob” in the otherwise smooth armpit. If such a swelling is detected, different criteria of this swelling should be considered. For example, it is important whether the lymph node is painful due to pressure.
If so, this is a good sign in the first instance, as the lymph nodes swell very quickly during an infection, which can then cause pain. Malignantly enlarged lymph nodes tend not to be painful. A further criterion is the shiftability.
Inflammatory enlarged lymph nodes usually have a smooth border, are homogeneous and can be moved easily within the tissue. In contrast, malignant enlarged lymph nodes are rather irregularly contoured, inhomogeneous and baked together with the surrounding tissue or other lymph nodes. If the lymph node swelling occurs symmetrically on both sides of the body, this is also rather a good sign and speaks rather for a benign finding.
However, unilateral lymph node swelling does not necessarily have to be malignant per se. The consistency of the lymph node also plays a role. Benign lymph nodes are bulging elastic, while malignant lymph nodes are rather coarse and firm.
If the skin over the lymph node is reddened, this can be an indication of rapid lymph node enlargement. The skin is then quickly stretched and reacts with redness. Lymph nodes enlarged during an infection usually shrink again once the infection is over.
The typical symptoms of the disease therefore also occur during swelling. An isolated lymph node swelling without a recent infection or other obvious causes, such as skin injuries in the immediate vicinity of the lymph node, is more suspicious from a medical point of view and should be clarified promptly. A unilateral lymph node swelling in the armpit that persists over a long period of time should be clarified by a physician.
In most cases the cause is harmless, for example a bacterial or viral infection, but malignant diseases can also be hidden behind unilateral lymph node swelling. In particular, if the lymph node is also very hard, irregular, difficult to move in the tissue and not painful, it could be a degenerated lymph node. The doctor will also palpate the lymph node and then examine it with the ultrasound machine.
This examination can provide further indications of whether the lymph node is benign or malignant.If suspicion exists, a tissue sample (biopsy) can also be taken and examined under the microscope. It is often the case that if the cause is harmless, the lymph node swelling is unilateral. This is due to the fact that it is often caused by local events such as an injury to the right or left arm.
In most cases, only the lymph nodes of the affected arm are swollen. The same is usually the case when vaccinating one of the two upper arms. However, infections often cause bilateral lymph node swelling because the cause is not local but affects the whole body.
Especially common are bilateral lymph node swellings in the neck. They can also occur in the armpit, although less frequently. As always, if bilateral swelling persists for a longer period of time, if there is no pain under pressure and if the swelling cannot be moved against the surrounding tissue, a doctor should be consulted and, if necessary, further diagnostics should be arranged.
