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2 year old has a large hard bump on his collar bone

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March 13th, 2012
My son is almost 2...over the weekend I noticed that his collar bone was sticking out on the left side...not red or anything like that..no pain...and the lump is approx. 1 inch in diameter and very hard and feels like it is part of the bone itself. Yesterday I took him to urgent care where they diagnosed it as a broken collar bone...and sent him to have an xray done. The x ray showed that there is no break or fracture or even any evidence of an old fracture, but it did show inflammation around the collar bone in the soft tissue. An ultrasound of the area has been ordered for later this week but Im a nervous wreck. In my search online I have been presented with the possibility of lymphoma... since he is so young and barely speaking its hard to assess whether or not he has other symptoms. A few weeks ago he was sick with a bad cold...hes lost weight in the last 3 months which is odd to me because his eating habits have improved. Last night he was very hot and appeared to be running a fever yet today he is fine. There was no injury or incident, and there is no pain from the bump itself. What are the likely causes of this lump? Can lymphoma just pop out over night? what else could cause inflammation of the soft tissues in that area? Thank you
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replied March 27th, 2012
Welcome to e health forum.

Lymph nodes are part of the lymphatic system, where white blood cells (lymphocytes) mature and ‎‎undergo clonal multiplication. The lymphocytes are important for fighting the infection and clearing the ‎‎viruses and bacteria from the body. Hence during any infection it is common for the lymph nodes to ‎‎increase in size and also become a bit tender (pain on application of pressure). ‎

Lymphomas are lymphoid malignancies, which present with multiple and generalized enlargement of lymph nodes all over the body, in the abdominal and chest cavity, enlarged spleen, and / or the bone marrow within the bones.

A single enlarged lymph node (as in your case) is not a indicator of such conditions. Hence you need not worry about lymphomas in your son.

The description provided indicates the possibility of the lump, being a enlarged supraclavicular lymph node, the cause of which can be infection or inflammation in the neck or surrounding area. Treatment with anti inflammatory medications like Advil and antibiotics can be prescribed to make a proper diagnosis.

Chronic Infections like tuberculosis can also present as lymphadenitis, hence tests to rule it out via a skin test or a Chest X ray can also be done. Other possible issues include bone infections.

You might consult with the treating doctors who can help answer any other doubts or questions that you might be having.


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