Self Screening Exam - Lymph Node Screen

Recommendation:
Self-assessment every 1-3 months. All ages and genders

Screening your own lymph nodes is an extremely easy and potentially life-saving habit to develop.  For those that are not aware, lymph nodes are a vital part of the immune system and are an integral part of how our body fights infections, cancers, and a variety of other concerns.  Whenever an infection, injury, or cancer develops - the lymph nodes most local to the site are activated and are responsible for a large part of the body's response to it.  It is normal that when activated, lymph nodes can become enlarged and even a little tender.  In cases of infections, these are often short-lived and will return to normal within a few weeks.  In cases of cancers, however, lymph nodes can be enlarged and they do not return to normal state.  The point of doing regular screenings is that one might be able to identify when a lymph node develops before symptomatic complaints begin. The sooner you catch cancer, the easier it is to treat. It is important to understand that lymph nodes can get larger and tender periodically.  Even if there are no symptoms of infection present.  It often just means that they are doing their job and keeping you from getting sick.  We don't necessarily care a whole lot about an enlarged lymph node that appears spontaneously then resolves after 2 weeks.  We care more about nodes that stick around, get larger, firmer, and don't resolve as they should

General Lymph Node Locations

The lymphatic system is present all over the body.  However, for a non-medical patient who is not trained and is here just to assess themselves, there are 3 major sites to check: neck, armpits/breast, and groin.

The breast exam is an entire topic on its own however, and more information can be found on our Self-Breast Exam page

Cervical Lymph Nodes

The cervical lymph nodes are located in chains and one-off locations. The one-off locations can be found in front of & behind the ear as well as just above the clavicle about an inch or two to the right and left of the central notch.

The chain nodes can be found under the jaw and in multiple areas around the neck. Starting in the front of the neck to the right and left of the windpipe is your anterior cervical lymph nodes. just behind the side of your neck is your posterior cervical lymph node chain. And directly behind the neck just near your actual spine and near the base of your skull is your occipital chain

Sweeping each of the locations and feeling for lumps or swelling should take less than 5-10 seconds

Finding swollen nodes around the ears and under the jaw is a common finding even in healthy patients and does not necessarily mean anything dangerous. However, every case is unique, and if you do have findings they should at least be discussed with a professional.

Axillary

The axillary nodes are present in your armpit and there are 3 major areas to check for. In the front, the middle, and the back.

When doing a self-exam simply use your fingers to assess each general location in 3 different sweeps feeling for any lumps, swelling, or tenderness. This should take less than 5 seconds to perform

It is uncommon to have lymph nodes develop in this area and any findings should be discussed with your health care provider

Groin lymph nodes

Lymph nodes in the groin area are highlighted in the picture. They rarely swell and when they do would prompt immediate evaluation with a health care provider. A simple technique to evaluate is to just take both hands and sweep the area on both sides simultaneously. It takes less than a second to perform

The Self-Lymph Node Exam

The Lymph Node exam is a simple assessment that should take about 30 seconds to complete.  You do not need to spend a load of time checking out each area.  A brief assessment is all that is needed to look for two things - A palpable nodule of some sort or tenderness in the area.  Examine all of the areas in the neck, armpits, and groin. If you find a firm node or painful area in any of the locations shown in the pictures take note of it. 

If this is the first time doing it - do not be alarmed if you find something!  Some patients have lymph nodes that are normally there and simply finding a node is not necessarily a problem if it's always been there.  What we truly care about is a change in a lymph node, not a lymph node in and of itself.  Take note of it and have a healthcare provider check it to be sure its normal if you need it

When performing your Lymph node screen it is also good practice to do sex-specific screens. We recommend the following:

What to do if you find a suspicious lymph node

Observe, and continue to recheck it every 1-2 weeks.  If you do not see improvement within a month be sure to schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider.  If you would like to speak with Starlight Health, please schedule an appointment with us