I have few lymph node enlargements on both sides of my groin. Does it indicate lymphoma?

Question

Hi doctor,

I have had a few lymph nodes on both sides of my groin for the past year, and there is no pain in the groin. There are no other lymph nodes in the body with pain, no fever, weight loss, or any other symptoms. I took antibiotics, but they did not work. My CBC and other blood tests are normal.

My groin ultrasound showed a few lymph nodes on both sides of the thin groin cortex and presented fatty hilum on both sides, non-specific. I did a needle biopsy, which showed small mature lymphocytes with few transformed lymphocytes. I know it is inconclusive, but I want to understand what transformed lymphocytes are in the report.

Does it indicate lymphoma?

Please advise.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern.

I went through the investigation report (attachment removed to protect the patient's identity) that you sent. I found no clue about lymphoma. It seems reactive nodes to some local viral infection of the urogenital tract. It might be due to post-vaccination. All vaccines enlarge the lymph nodes to some extent. Please read the following information on lymphomas and get back to me if there are any more queries.

Lymphomas are neoplasms of lymph nodes or other lymphoid tissue. Lymphomas are subdivided into Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Lymphomas usually involve multiple lymph nodes in various areas of the body. These are associated with weight loss, loss of appetite, and low-grade fever for many days to months. The cause of lymphomas is genetic mutations, viral diseases such as EBV (Epstein-Barr virus) or HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) infections, anti-cancer drugs, and sometimes unknown etiologies.

The diagnostic workup includes ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate), CRP (C-reactive protein), FNAC (fine needle aspiration cytology) test of the swollen lymph nodes, tissue biopsies, ultrasound, chest X-rays, and PET (positron emission tomography) scan. Immunohistochemistry on tissue biopsy sections provides the lineage of the lymphoma, which is Hodgkin’s or non-Hodgkin’s.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is further subdivided into B-cell and T-cell lymphomas. B-cell lymphomas are less aggressive and treatable with chemotherapy. T-cell lymphomas are more aggressive and challenging to treat.

Multiple organ involvement, including spleen, bone marrow, and other tissues, indicates a widespread advanced stage and aggressive disease. It needs intense chemotherapy. Lymphomas can affect all age groups and genders.

Some, but not all, lymphomas are spilled in peripheral blood and can be detected in the CBC (complete blood count) report. In addition, lymphomas are sometimes associated with paraproteins, detectable by protein electrophoresis.

Primary causes of lymph node enlargement should be ruled out at the first step, for example, infections, especially the generalized or local deep tissue infections like TB (tuberculosis), post-vaccination, autoimmunity, viral infections, etc.

I hope that this answers your query.

Kindly follow up if you have more doubts.

Thank you.