DD5 referred to paediatrician on the urgent cancer pathway for lymph node- petrified

[Justamuma]

my DD aged 5 has had a swollen lymph node in the side of her neck for a couple of months. I took her to the GP 4 weeks ago who ordered some bloods which came back normal. He said the lymph node was just over 2cm in size and wanted to see her again in 4 weeks to reassess. We went back on Wednesday and he said it's still over 2cm so referred us to the paediatrician. He said 'I'm not too concerned' as I left.

however, I've now had the letter from the hospital through today and attached to the appointment letter (which is for next froday) is a piece of paper about cancer referalls and 2 week waits. The paediatrician we are seeing is also a specialist in oncology so I've just been floored with panic. I feel sick to my stomach 🙁

she has no other symptoms and playing and eating normally but now I can't get out of my head she has cancer.

please can anyone give me any stories of similar that didn't have an awful outcome?

This is it here

The vast majority of people referred on these 2 week waits dont have cancer. Its just to exclude cancer first, then theres time to investigate what it actually is.

Obviously its very important you go but I wouldnt worry about it (obviously you cant help worrying though)

@laura246810i wish I could feel like that but now I can't think of anything else 🥺

NHS admin worker here - it is entirely likely they’ve put it thru as a 2ww to get it dealt with urgently as routine waiting lists can be very long.
Easier said than done but try not to panick you’ll get the appointment soon and they will talk you thru it all and the next steps. If you notice any new symptoms between now and then that worry you, get yourself up to A&E with copies of all the letters etc and they’ll deal with you there and then.
sending big hugs 🤗

I had a massively swollen lymph node in my early 20s. They ruled out lots of nasty things and then said “it’s a swollen lymph node - it will go down by itself”. And it did.

try not to panic, it's just a lymph node that has not gone down, it can have many causes and cancer is a very unlikely option. They haven't done any scans or other tests, her bloods are fine and she has no other symptoms. They just need to check. My son had similar, inflamed on ultrasound as well. But they thought it was probably some infection and the node has shrunk nicely after a course of antibiotics.

Thank you so much for your replies everyone- I'm trying to cling on to surely her bloods wouldn't have been fine if there was something sinister but I'm even doubting that now.

I suffer from awful anxiety ever since by DS contracted meningitis at 4 weeks old.

Look at it like this: there are lots of possible causes but they want to rule out the nastiest stuff first and then work through what’s left. Which is exactly the right thing to do. Particularly because she is a child. It doesn’t mean they think she has cancer.

@Untailoredthis is a really rational way of looking at it. I really appreciate you taking time to reply.

My daughter has the time. Two lots of bloods, 2 ultrasound scans, 2 ENT appointments…within about 10 months or so, all with different doctors/ specialists… none are concerned/ think it’s cancer. Just a swollen lymph node they say, I wish you all the best that it’s the same for you

They want to rule out cancer first, as they did with myself aged 11. It was some sort of autoimmune reaction.
🍀

Obviously you're going to be terrified until the tests come back, but it sounds like they are covering all bases, because with kids if they are really worried about cancer, they don't wait a week and a half, they do the tests immediately. When my kid was diagnosed with a brain tumour (she's doing ok now thankfully), the scan was the same day, and that's fairly typical. Kids on here with other cancers etc I've seen similar - immediate bloods, scans etc. So it sounds like the doctors aren't at panic stations yet, so try to be a bit reassured by that if you can.

Please try not to overthink it, a good doctor will always start with the most serious possible diagnosis and work their way down to the less serious stuff. That means outcomes for the most serious things will hopefully be better, it doesn't mean they think your child has cancer at all.

My daughter had (and still has) a raised lymph node in her neck that the GP wasn’t overly concerned about but arranged a follow up for a month later. It was still raised at that time so he put in a referral and warned me that he was putting it in as urgent even though he wasn’t worried but routine would be months and months away. The person above is right as well if they have any serious concerns it’s generally a same day referral. The paediatrician was very reassured and didn’t even do a scan or take any bloods because there were no other symptoms other than this lymph node.
I do get it though because although I was very reassured by the GP and the fact that she wasn’t unwell as soon as the gp put the urgent referral in I stayed stressing

Big Hug & reassuring noises. Please re - read the posts so far & be reassured it's most likely 'a swollen lymph gland'. They're really not unusual & your GP had said & done the right things!

it's good we have better technology now to rule out many more issues, but it was 'easier' when the GP would say 'Mrs X she has a swelling on her neck, it'll go down in time. If it starts looking like a football bring her back. Good day'

when you look at her think 'swollen lymph gland' & try to quieten the little voices!! 🤗🥰

Do those who are telling OP not to panic really believe that will actually help.
OP of course you are worried all of us would be. Unfortunately all that you can do is await further tests.
Very best wishes, hoping for good news for you and DD. Please give her a cuddle from me. ❤️❤️❤️

The exact same thing happened to DS when he was young. Bloods were normal and he was fine in itself. It wasn’t cancer and he’s now in his 20s!

Oh OP poor you how horrible. I would think they would put anything that vaguely could be cancer on a cancer pathway because it won't hurt to get fast treatment for a not cancerous thing, getting slow treatment for something that turned out to be cancer could end tragically.

If they were very concerned, you'd be in with her straight away and she'd be admitted. It's good news that they are happy to wait 2 weeks but are also seeing her, I also think it's good news for the more common childhood cancers which are usually blood cancers that her bloods looked good as that was a big factor when my son had blood cancer a few years ago.

OP, if it helps, I’m a GP. I see kids with neck lumps all the time - it’s a very common presentation. In this scenario - a healthy child, normal bloods, no other lumps or bumps - it is vanishingly unlikely that it’s anything other than a lymph node. Where I work (not in the UK so referral pathways may be different) I would have referred her for an ultrasound of the lump just to be sure, with no mention of cancer.

I know it's easier said than done but try not to imagine the worst OP.
At a similar age my DD developed huge swollen lymph nodes all over the place - groins, armpits, neck - and when I took her to the GP I was told to go home, pack a bag and take her straight up to the Children's Hospital. Naturally I assumed it was going to be something awful, but it wasn't, just a reaction to a virus and they eventually disappeared though it took a few months. She's a perfectly healthy adult now.
What I was told at the time is that cancer is not the commonest cause of swollen lymph nodes in children but the one where a quick diagnosis and early treatment is the most important, so they wanted to rule out that first. It was very scary at the time but at the same time kind of reassuring that they were taking my concerns seriously and acting quickly.
Of course you are going to worry - I was beside my self when my DD was having tests - but remember that there are lots of other possibilities and it may well be nothing serious at all. And if she does need treatment for something then it's got to be a good thing that she's being seen quickly hasn't it?

Dd had a lump on her neck when she was at primary school. I took her to the GP on the Wednesday and she felt it. I then got sent an appointment for her to have a scan on the Saturday. I was a bit worried about the speed of it given it was the NHS. It turned out to be an infected cyst I think.

Thank you so so much for all of your reassurance in your replies, I really do appreciate you taking the time to try and talk my mind down a little ❤️

Hey , my lymph nodes have caused me no end of dramas, They always swell and stay swollen. Im always needing blood tests and scans and so far Im always “borderline” for something. I have autoimmune diseases and my body is just weird. 2 week wait is actually good, look at this way, if it is cancer u r on to it super quick and on the right path already but I can say, my lymph nodes in that area they never worry about as much as they drain from all over the head and skin etc and even a scratch can cause them to swell and 2 months isn’t so bad for a lymph node. The ones on collarbone and back of neck raise a few more eyebrows. Has she had any vaccine recently? Any teeth issues? I really hope you can this resolved quickly and simply, will be thinking of you both I k is it’s a rotten time

@Gingybreadthank you so much for sharing xx