KEY POINTS
- The coronavirus vaccine may cause swollen lymph nodes
- Side effects reflect the signs of breast cancer
- Experts recommend having a mammogram before taking a picture or four weeks after the second dose
An alarming side effect of COVID-19 is reported among women after receiving the vaccines against Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
There have been recent reports of women finding large, painful lumps under their arm after receiving COVID-19 blows. Swelling of the lymph nodes is a known side effect of the vaccine, but it can also reflect signs of breast cancer.
“I panicked, I admit, initially … I had a big, visible and painful piece,” Dr. Bridget Rogers told Kathy Walsh of CBS4. Rogers is a radiologist specializing in breast imaging at Solis mammography.
“I tried to calm down by reminding myself that this is actually a sign that the vaccine is doing what it should be doing, activating the immune system,” she added.
Dr. Rogers had just received his second dose of the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine the day before. While the swelling “started to improve” after two days, she says there were other reports of visibly enlarged lymph nodes from her colleagues.
Researchers at the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine study reported 64 cases of swollen lymph nodes among its 2,000 beneficiaries.
The experts advised patients who received the new coronavirus vaccine to reschedule their annual mammogram screening before receiving the vaccine or four weeks after the second dose to avoid confusion.
Dr. Tan Yah Yuen, a breast surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, has warned that swollen lymph nodes could cause doctors to falsely suspect breast cancer.
“If the clinical suspicion is that the swollen lymph node is due to vaccination and not breast cancer, then a repeated ultrasound can be done in two to three months to follow the swollen lymph nodes for resolution,” Yuen told The Straits Times.
Swelling of the lymph nodes can be seen after the first or second dose. Side effects can also occur in men. The condition usually resolves within 10 days of receiving the vaccine.
Women who are in remission of cancer are also advised to talk to their doctor with a mammogram or ultrasound. Yuen also recommended administering the vaccine vaccine on the opposite arm to prevent false recurrence alarms.
