There is a swelling on the left side of my neck

Many people don't pay much attention to the swelling on the left side of the neck. After all, this situation will not easily induce other symptoms, so they will not think of going to the hospital for a check-up. In fact, this is just a precursor symptom. This may be a common symptom caused by the so-called tumor disease. If this is the case, it will make the treatment method very difficult.

Neurogenic tumors

Most of them are neurotheca tumors, which originate from Schwann cells on the nerve sheath and often occur in the cervical cutaneous nerves, sympathetic nerves, vagus nerves, etc. The tumor was located in the upper lateral part of the neck, deep to the sternocleidomastoid muscle. Comes in round or circular shape with smooth surface. When the disease grows slowly and the lesion is small, there are often no obvious symptoms. When the tumor is large, it may protrude into the pharynx, causing the lateral walls of the pharynx to move inward and become fuller, which may affect breathing in severe cases. Occasionally, it may become malignant, manifested by rapid enlargement of the tumor within a short period of time, or accompanied by symptoms such as vagus nerve and hypoglossal nerve paralysis.

Carotid body tumor

Originates from the carotid body. Located at the carotid bifurcation. When the tumor is small, symptoms are not obvious. If the vagus nerve, hypoglossal nerve and other nerves are invaded, it may cause vocal cord movement disorders, tongue deviation and other symptoms. During examination, the tumor may move with the artery and feel pulsating. CT enhanced scanning, arteriography and other examinations are helpful for diagnosis.

Malignant lymphoma

It is a malignant tumor that arises in the lymphoreticular tissue. The main manifestation is enlarged lymph nodes, or the formation of a mass in the tissue outside the lymph nodes, and then affecting the adjacent lymph nodes. According to cell morphology and degree of differentiation, it can be divided into two categories: Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck are a common symptom of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The lumps are painless, progressively enlarged, and hard. They are movable in the early stages, but in the later stages the lymph nodes adhere to each other and become difficult to move.

If there are lesions in the tonsils, nasopharynx, root of tongue, etc., symptoms such as nasal congestion, bloody nasal discharge, throat discomfort, and hearing loss may occur accordingly. Cervical lymphadenopathy caused by Hodgkin's lymphoma is usually bilateral and is accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, hepatosplenomegaly, weight loss, and fatigue.

Metastatic malignancy

Metastatic malignant tumor in the neck is one of the causes of neck masses, and its primary lesions are mostly located in the head and neck. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma may metastasize to cervical lymph nodes early, which may sometimes be the first symptom of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. It often invades the upper deep lateral cervical lymph node group. The swollen lymph nodes are located behind the mandibular angle, gradually increase in size, and sometimes fuse into a mass. Hard texture, poor mobility, no tenderness. It is usually unilateral, but bilateral cervical lymph nodes may be affected simultaneously. The location of cervical lymph node metastasis of tonsil carcinoma is similar to that of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Laryngeal cancer often causes cervical lymph node metastasis, especially the supraglottic type. In the early stage, it is mostly the deep upper lateral neck group, where the lymph nodes at the bifurcation of the carotid artery are enlarged. In the late stage, metastatic lymph node cancer can extend to the inferior cervical angle or supraclavicular area. Lymph node metastasis of nasal cavity and paranasal sinus cancer often occurs in the late stage of the disease, and the enlarged lymph nodes are mostly located in the submandibular area. Diseases such as lung cancer and esophageal cancer may sometimes cause metastatic lymph node cancer in the supraclavicular area.