Causes of Metastatic Lymph Nodes
Most metastatic lymph nodes in the neck arise from primary tumors elsewhere in the head and neck. Therefore, the cause of a metastatic lymph node is related to the cause of the primary tumor. This is typically a combination of genetics and environmental factors. These causes are further explained in the individual primary tumor sections.
Signs & Symptoms
Normal, healthy lymph nodes are typically small and difficult to find. When lymph nodes are cancerous, they can get larger, and those close to the body’s surface can become noticeable just by feeling or looking at them.
Cancer in the neck is typically found in one of two ways: a patient or their doctor notices a lump in the neck, or an imaging study for an unrelated reason identifies a mass in the neck that looks suspicious and requires further evaluation.
Additional Symptoms
As metastatic lymph nodes grow larger, they can sometimes cause other symptoms due to invasion of surrounding structures. These symptoms may include voice changes (invasion of the vagus nerve, recurrent laryngeal nerve, or larynx), difficulty swallowing (invasion of the pharynx, esophagus, or vagus nerve), shoulder weakness (invasion of the spinal accessory nerve), lower lip weakness (invasion of the facial nerve), numbness (invasion of cervical sensory nerves), or arm weakness (invasion of the brachial plexus).
It is important to note that a patient could have a lump in the neck or more of these symptoms but not have cancer. This is why it is particularly important to see a specialist for further medical evaluation. If the neck mass doesn’t resolve in a few weeks or grows bigger, the doctor will likely perform more diagnostic tests or refer a patient to the specialist.
