What are lymph nodes?

Lymph nodes are present throughout the body. Lymph glands that are near each other often form groups or chains. Normal sized nodes are not felt and are the size of a grain of uncooked rice. They are part of the immune system to fight against infection.

The thyroid gland is an endocrine gland in your neck. It makes two hormones that are secreted into the blood: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). These hormones are necessary for all the cells in your body to work normally.

Why do they enlarge?

• Infection
• Cancer

How do we manage them?

The objective is to diagnose the cause for enlargement.

• CT scan
• Biopsy
• Surgical excision