Painless lumps or swollen glands

Most lumps under the skin or swollen glands are not cause for serious concern.

Noncancerous (benign) growths are usually harmless. A benign growth may be:

• A lipoma, a smooth, rubbery, dome-shaped lump that is easily movable under the skin.
• A cyst, a sac of fluid and debris that sometimes hurts.
• A ganglion, a soft, rubbery lump (a type of cyst) on the front or back of the wrist.
• A sebaceous cyst, which often appears on the scalp, ears, face, and back.
• A thyroid nodule, an abnormal growth on the thyroid gland, in the neck just below the Adam's apple.
• An enlarged thyroid gland (goiter), which can cause a lump in the neck.

Children often have small, hard, swollen glands that last for weeks after they recover from minor illnesses, such as a cold or sore throat.

Most lumps are not caused by cancer. A lump that is caused by cancer is usually painless, hard, irregularly shaped, and firmly fixed to the skin or deep in tissue.