Host: If someone has felt some glands on the ankle, the clavicle, how much it is benign to something more serious?
Guest: The major things that we look for in different glands are size. So small size is less concerning. Anything less than a marble is generally of little or no concern. We are looking at what it feels like. Malignant lymph nodes, called myeloleukemia tend to be very hard. We often say that it feel rock hard or like bone versus lymph nodes, they are glands, they get large in response to infection tend to be rubbery. They also tend to be able to move if they are in response to infection and tend to be more isolated. Once in response to malignancy or often grouped together, can't be moved, and then we also look at the location there, certain locations such as --
Host: Over these locations you would look at, you have great concerned at other locations?
Guest: The number one area that we get concerned about is something called Supraclavicular nerves, one just above the collar bone which are considered malignant until proven otherwise. Other one such as in the neck can be either from infection or from malignancy. Sometimes you see lymph nodes that are large on chest X-Ray in the area around the heart and those are also quite concerning.
Host: So it's called the high rated area, guess what, but general rule, if you see a little gland in the inner part cannot enter by it ten days and it gets smaller in size it's not to worry about, is that true?
Guest: That's correct!
Host: But if it doesn't get small and it keeps growing, these are probably going to biopsy, there is someone like you?
Guest: Usually they will send them to us. Sometimes we say, okay, we are not so worried about it, but we see a much greater percentage of lymph nodes that are malignant -- it's a more comfortable thing that that's what the problem is.
Host: So the general rule is it's soft and movable. It gets bigger and smaller with infection, not such a big deal. Hard and movable keeps getting bigger. Is that true?
Guest: That's true. The other thing we look at is whether or not it's painful. So painfulness lymph nodes tend to be from infection and once that they have no pain are ultimately more concerning.
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