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Forum Name: Pediatric Topics

Question: swollen gland behind left ear.

kim - Thu Mar 15, 2007 6:54 am

My ten year old daughter has a swollen gland behind her left ear. She has had it for 2 months. She used to have recurring ear infections. She had her tonsils and adnoids removed in 2005 and she had her tubes removed in July 2006 no ear infections since. She has been to our family doctor twice and went for blood work today and she is going to have an ultrasound and possibily a biopsy. What could be the cause of this? Also should I be overly worried about cancer? Our family doctor thinks it may be a reactive gland. Thanks for taking the time to read my post. Thanks from a worried mom.

Dr. Chan Lowe - Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:00 pm

Your doctor is quite likely to be correct. The most likely explanation of this is a normal reactive Lymph node. Occasionally, nodes will swell during an infection then never fully shrink back down to their original size. The location of the node makes me think it is much less likely to be a cancer (though this is not a one hundred percent guarantee). If there is concern, a biopsy will give you the answer but this may not be necessary. The ultrasound will help confirm it to be consistent with a Lymph node versus some other structure. Hope this helps. Best wishes.

kim - Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:10 pm

Thank-you for taking the time to answer my questions

Dr. Chan Lowe - Fri Mar 16, 2007 6:57 am

My pleasure. Thanks for visiting our site.

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