The SARS-CoV-2 vaccine is causing an unexpected side effect in many patients, leading many women to believe they may have cancer and even scheduling 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 flu; an immune response, like the one the body experiences after vaccination, appears to be the cause of the swollen lymph nodes. According to CNN, radiologists saw an increase in the number of patients concerned, which led to an increase in biopsies.
To be clear, COVID-19 is not causing breast cancer, but in some cases it is causing swollen lymph nodes, which is worrying many women. Worse, some women reported seeing white “blisters” on their regular mammograms, which are a more serious sign of cancer. However, these blisters are also actually a side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Doctors emphasize that this is a possible normal and expected side effect, since white is an immune system reaction to the vaccine. It occurs on the same side of the arm where the person received the vaccine.
“When you hear hoof hooves, don’t think about zebra,” Dr. Connie Lehman, head of breast imaging in the Massachusetts General radiology department, told CNN. “If a woman received a vaccine on the arm on the same side and the lymph nodes are swollen, this is a normal biological response. It is totally expected. It just does not make sense to start imaging.”
During clinical trials, about 16 percent of patients reported swollen lymph nodes after the second inoculation of the Moderna vaccine; 11.6 percent reported swollen lymph nodes after the first dose. For the Pfizer vaccine, only 0.3 percent of test patients reported it. In a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) briefing document for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, swollen lymph nodes are not listed as a reported side effect.
In a retrospective study published recently in the American Journal of Roentgenology, a researcher at the University of California-Los Angeles found that 23 women had swollen lymph nodes that appear on the breast image after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine; 13 percent were symptomatic and 43 percent were detected in diagnostic imaging.
Understandably, doctors are eager to spread the word that this can happen – and it is no reason to freak out.
“I am particularly eager to get the word out to all patients under surveillance after successful previous cancer treatment,” said Lehman The New York Times. “I can’t imagine the anxiety of taking the exam and hearing, ‘We found a big lump. We don’t think it’s cancer, but we can’t say ‘or, worse,’ We think it might be cancer ‘. “
Due to the nuance of the symptoms, some professional groups like the Society of Breast Imaging are warning medical professionals to consider asking about a patient’s vaccination status, the date and which arm he received the vaccine, in an intake form. The group also advises women to schedule screening tests 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 says that if the swollen area continues after a short-term follow-up with the patient’s doctor, a biopsy should be considered. They also advise that if the lump persists for six weeks after vaccination, notify your doctor.