What is causing the small, painless swollen lymph node in my groin?
Whoa, no rush to do a CT scan for a 1cm inguinal node in a 28 year old healthy male. This is one of the reasons that medical expenses have gotten way out of control. Often the best test is the “test of time.” You are a good observer – excellent description of an oval, 1 cm, non-tender lymph node. ? Firm, rubbery, or actually hard. It takes some experience to know this. We usually call these “residual nodes.” Check this each week for awhile and then perhaps once a month. Also, check to make sure you have no testicular masses – though testicular carcinomas are relatively rare in 28 year olds. I would point this out to your doctor when next you see him or her. Your primary care physician can help you monitor this without necessarily doing a large number of expensive tests. If it does not grow, it is not a lymphoma. There are only 4640 cases of Hodgkin’s lymphomas – the most likely type of lymphoma in a 28 year old – in U.S. males expected this year (2009 ACS data). Lymphomas are not commo
