Neck lump

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Lymphatic system

Neck lump

Lump in the neck

Consult your health care provider for treatment of the cause of the neck lump.

Call for an appointment with your health care provider if you have an abnormal neck swelling, or lumps in your neck.

The health care provider will take your medical history and do a physical examination.

Medical history questions documenting your neck lump in detail may include the following:

• Is it a hard lump?
• Is it a relatively soft, pliable, bag-like (cystic) mass?
• Is it a painless bag-like (cystic) mass?
• Is the entire neck swollen?
• Where is the lump located?
• Has it been growing bigger? Over how many months?
• What other symptoms are also present?
• Is there a rash?
• Is there difficulty breathing?

If a thyroid goiter is diagnosed, medication treatment or surgical removal may be needed. If a thyroid nodule is suspected, a radioactive thyroid scan, CT scan of the head or neck, or thyroid biopsy may assist in diagnosis and treatment. A biopsy involves the removal of a small piece of the thyroid gland. This piece will be checked in the lab.

If the lump is caused by a bacterial infection, antibiotics may be necessary. If the cause is a benign mass or cyst, surgical removal may be necessary.

Review Date: 01/18/2007
Reviewed By: Benjamin W. Van Voorhees, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.