The SARS-CoV-2 vaccine causes an unexpected side effect in many patients, leading many women to believe that they may have cancer and even plan biopsies.
The observation of swollen lymph nodes in the armpits is a common sign of breast cancer, especially in female patients. Swollen lymph nodes can also be a side effect of viral infections and certain flus; an immune response, such as what the body experiences after vaccination, appears to be the cause of the swollen lymph nodes. According to CNN, radiologists have seen an increase in concerned patients leading to a rush of biopsies.
To be clear, the COVID-19 does not cause breast cancer, but in some cases it does cause lymph nodes to swell, which worries many women. Worse, some women have even reported seeing white “spots” in their regular mammograms, which is a more serious sign of cancer. However, such stains are actually also a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Doctors emphasize that this is an expected and normal possible side effect, as it is the white reaction of the immune system to the vaccine. It occurs on the same side as the arm where the person shot the vaccine.
“If you hear hoofbeats, do not think zebra,” said Dr. Connie Lehman, head of bust in Massachusetts’ department of radiology, told CNN. “If a woman on the same side had a vaccine in her arm and the lymph nodes were swollen, it is a normal biological reaction. It is completely expected. It simply does not make sense to start imaging.”
During clinical trials, an estimated 16 percent of patients reported swollen lymph nodes after the second vaccination of the Moderna vaccine; 11.6 percent reported swollen lymph nodes after the first dose. For the Pfizer vaccine, only 0.3 percent of patients in trials reported it. In a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) information document for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, swollen lymph nodes are not listed as a side effect.
In a recently published retrospective study in the American Journal of Radiology, a researcher at the University of California – Los Angeles, found that 23 women had swollen lymph nodes on the breast after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine; 13 percent were symptomatic and 43 percent were detected on diagnostic imaging.
Understandably, doctors are eager to spread the word that this can happen – and that’s not a reason to speak out.
“I am particularly keen to notify the message to all the patients who are being monitored after successful prior cancer treatment,” Lehman said. The New York Times. “I can not imagine the anxiety of the scan and hear: ‘We found a large junction. We do not think it is cancer, but can not say’ or worse: ‘We think it is cancer.’ “
Due to the nuance of the symptoms, some occupational groups such as the Association of bust recommends that medical professionals consider taking a patient’s intake, the date and the arm they received. The group also advises women to schedule screening exams before the first dose of the vaccine, or four to six weeks after the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The Society of Breast Imaging states that if the swollen area persists after a short-term follow-up with a patient’s doctor, a biopsy should be considered. They also recommend that your healthcare provider know if the lump persists for six weeks after vaccination.