ear, nose, and throat disorders
Neck Mass
Etiology of a Neck Mass
There are many causes of a neck mass, including infectious, cancerous, and congenital causes (see table). Most neck masses are enlarged lymph nodes. The most common causes of a neck mass in younger patients include the following: Reactive adenitis Primary bacterial lymph node infection Systemic infections Reactive adenitis occurs in response to viral or bacterial infection somewhere in the oropharynx. Some examples of primary bacterial lymph node infection are Cat-Scratch Disease , Congenital disorders may cause a neck mass, typically long-standing. The most common are thyroglossal duct cysts, branchial cleft cysts, and dermoid or sebaceous cysts. Cancerous masses are more common among older patients but may occur in younger ones. These masses may represent a local primary tumor or lymph node involvement from a local, regional, or distant primary cancer. About 60% of supraclavicular triangle masses are metastases from distant primary sites. Elsewhere in the neck, 80% of cancerous cervical adenopathy originates in the upper respiratory or alimentary tract. Likely sites of origin are the posterior-lateral border of the tongue and the floor of the mouth followed by the nasopharynx, palatine tonsil, laryngeal surface of the epiglottis, and hypopharynx, including the pyriform sinuses. The thyroid gland may enlarge in various disorders, including Simple Nontoxic Goiter , A submandibular salivary gland can enlarge if it is blocked by a Salivary Stones , becomes infected, or develops a 