Adenopathy with cancer has specific symptoms and characteristics that make it different from other causes.
Lymph nodes are a central part of the immune response.
These pea-sized organs act as filters for lymphatic fluids that carry waste from the body’s tissues.
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They also produced defensive white blood cells known aslymphocytes.
Any pathogen filtered by these organs will trigger an immune response in the form ofinflammation.
There are roughly 600 lymph nodes situated in clusters throughout the body.
Adenopathy can mean many things depending on where and how the swelling occurs.
Benign Causes of Adenopathy
Benign adenopathy is used to describe swollen lymph nodes not associated with cancer.
There are many different causes, some of which are serious and others that are not.
These include:
Malignant Adenopathy and Cancer
Malignant adenopathy is the swelling of lymph nodes from cancer.
Canceroccurs when cells replicate abnormally and grow out of control.
These abnormal cells can form solid masses called tumors or lead to blood cancers likeleukemiaor lymphoma.
With solid tumors, lymph nodes are affected because wastes from surrounding tissues drain into them.
What Are the Chances Swollen Lymph Nodes Are Cancer?
Cancer is one of the least likely causes of adenopathy overall.
It is estimated that only about 1.1% of swollen lymph nodes are cancerous.
These clues can help point the healthcare provider in the direction of malignant adenopathy.
These pieces of information can be used to stage your cancer based on theTNM classification system.
Leukemia starts in thebone marrowand causes the formation of abnormal white blood cells, called leukemic cells.
With cancer, the symptoms and mechanisms of adenopathy can differ, sometimes significantly.
Adenopathy with cancer can often cause hard, fixed, painless, and irregularly shaped lymph nodes.
These diagnostic clues can differentiate malignant adenopathy from other non-cancerous causes.
Lymph nodes are also involved in the staging of cancer.
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