An x-ray of the neck, including the cervical vertebrae.
There are several possible connections between neck pain and cancer. The disease can manifest as a tumor in the neck region or as metastatic cancer, which is cancer that has spread from another part of the body. Squamous cell, thyroid and spinal cancer or leukemia may be indicated by neck pain. Neck pain may be caused by cancer if it is constant, continually worsening, and does not respond to medications. There may also be a painful lump in the neck, accompanied by a constant sore throat.
Squamous cell carcinoma can cause sore lymph nodes.
To diagnose a definitive link between neck pain and cancer, a doctor will run several tests. Preliminary efforts to diagnose the problem usually include a physical exam and a careful review of the patient’s medical history. If further examination is needed, the doctor may take an X-ray of the neck. Sometimes an x-ray doesn’t provide enough detail. At these times, the doctor may choose to do a more powerful test, such as computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Neck pain can be the result of a cancerous tumor growing in the spine.
There are several diseases that can be the result of a connection between neck pain and cancer. The most common varieties are squamous cell carcinoma, thyroid and spinal cancer, and leukemia. Neck pain can also be caused by cancer that has spread from other parts of the body, such as the breast tissue or the lungs.
Squamous cell carcinoma can cause neck pain directly by growing into the esophagus or throat, or by spreading from nearby areas of the body, such as the skin, mouth, and lungs. As squamous cell carcinoma moves through the body through the lymph nodes, it can also cause neck pain when it settles in the collarbone nodes. It can also travel directly to the neck.
All four main types of thyroid cancer can cause neck pain.
There are four main types of thyroid cancer that cause neck pain. The most common and least dangerous type is papillary carcinoma, which mainly affects women. Doctors usually decide the diagnosis of medullary carcinoma through analysis of family history, since it is the most typically hereditary variety. Follicular carcinoma is the variety of thyroid cancer most likely to recur. The most dangerous type of cancer that affects the thyroid is rapidly spreading anaplastic carcinoma.
A firm diagnosis of the cause of neck pain may sometimes require a CT scan.
Neck pain can also be the result of a cancerous tumor growing in the spine. In this case, the discomfort is mainly due to pressure on the spinal nerves. Weight loss and constant tiredness are other symptoms that commonly accompany this type of cancer.
The main connection between neck pain and bone marrow cancer, or leukemia, is that the disease can affect the bone marrow in the vertebrae. Leukemia is less likely to be discovered through neck pain than most other cancers that affect the area. Other symptoms, such as fatigue, anemia, or excessive bleeding, are usually noticed first.
