Ultrasound examination of the lymph nodes in oncological diseases

News 12/10/2019

Nature has endowed our body with a lymphatic system. Its functions are to resist the negative factors of the external environment, protect against external influences and filter pathogenic units.

Primary cancers of the lymph nodes include: Hodgkin's lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and chronic leukemia. But, very often in patients there is a secondary lesion of the lymph nodes with metastases in any other oncological disease. In this regard, specialists must include ultrasound examination of the lymph nodes in the complex examination of patients with cancer.

Cancer patients can conduct an examination of the lymph nodes for inflammation or soreness on their own. They are located superficially and are accessible to palpation: on the neck, on the clavicle, in the armpit and in the groin.

During the inspection, you should pay special attention to:

• size of the lymph node;
• the presence of swelling or visible formation on the skin;
• soreness, mobility;
• density or softness of the lymph node;
• integrity of the skin (such as redness, ulceration).

If the examination reveals alarming symptoms, then it is worth planning a visit to the doctor. After the examination, he will send the patient for an ultrasound examination, which will allow to exclude or confirm the presence of a malignant process in the lymph nodes. The defeat of the lymph nodes in oncological diseases has certain ultrasound signs.

A normal lymph node has an oval shape with a predominance of length over width, clear, even contours with differentiated structural elements (Fig. 1).  

With a cancerous tumor of the lymphatic system, not one, but a group of lymph nodes in several areas is most often affected. They increase in size and are visualized on the screen as a neoplasm of fused lymph nodes with each other or with nearby tissues. The contours of the lymph nodes often remain clear. The growth of additional blood vessels is noted (Fig. 2)

Secondary lesion (metastasis) of the lymph nodes is characterized by a change in shape to a rounded one with blurred contours (Fig. 3).In the MCSC named after A. S. Loginov, you can timely undergo a study of the lymph nodes in the department of ultrasound diagnostics.  The inspection is carried out on expert-class devices.  Conducting ultrasound on these devices allows you to:

• recognize the disease at an early stage;
• make the most accurate diagnosis;
• timely prescribe accurate treatment;
• monitor the treatment process.

All the obtained research results are discussed with the doctors of the clinical departments.

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