Diagnosis for Axillary Lymphadenopathy
For your doctor to identify your condition, a physical exam is first conducted. Your healthcare provider may discover them during a routine checkup even if you have no symptoms. To determine the cause, they will consider several factors, such as:
- Size of the lymph nodes
- Number of swollen lymph nodes
- Pain or tenderness
- Location (if the node is unilateral vs. bilateral)
- Consistency (whether the nodes are hard or spongy)
- Matting (whether the nodes are conjoined or individual)
- Whether the nodes are movable or immovable
Together, these clues may rule out certain possibilities and help point to a more possible cause.
After the physical exam, blood work, and imaging tests will be done. The latter may include:
- CT scan
- chest X-ray
- MRI
- Ultrasound
- Mammogram
In some cases, a biopsy may be recommended. During this procedure, a small sample of cells are collected through a fine needle and then sent to a pathologist to determine whether these are benign or malignant.
Your doctor will also see whether your condition is unilateral or bilateral.
Unilateral: unilateral axillary lymphadenopathy is when it occurs on only one side of the body and is sometimes associated with breast cancer. However, unilateral cases can also be caused by autoimmune diseases, and not necessarily breast cancer.
Bilateral: bilateral axillary lymphadenopathy is when the lumps occur on both sides of the body. These may be as a result of several underlying conditions such as cancer.