Dear friend, welcome and thanks for entrusting your query here at Healthcaremagic!
I am Dr. Prasad Akole (Critical Care Expert- http://bit.ly/Dr-Prasad-Akole) and am glad to address to your query here.

If the painful enlarged swelling in the neck is present for a month, possibilities are many.

If you can answer a few questions, I can be more specific in my answer.

Do you have fever, breathlessness, redness over the swelling?
Are the margins of the tumour well demarcated, smooth or irregular?
Does the mass move with swallowing up and down?
Does it have dilated veins over it?
Is it stony hard or soft?
Is swallowing painful?
Is breathing noisy?

It would greatly help if you could upload a photo of the swelling here using the uploading service available on this site just below the text box. You can email the reports / images to
YYYY@YYYY
with subject- (Attn: Dr. Prasad Akole)

If there is fever, it could be a submental abscess, lymph node.
If it is hard, irregular, fixed, cancer needs to be ruled out.

Thyroid tumour, soft tissue tumours, lymph nodes, abscess (pus) are possibilities.

I hope to have answered your query satisfactorily. I would be glad to answer any further queries.
Take care and please keep me informed of your progress at http://bit.ly/Dr-Prasad-Akole
Good Luck! Thank you!!

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Thanks for the update.
It is unlikely to be a cancer.
If you never had fever, an infection is unlikely.

There are many possibilities like mentioned above. answers to remaining questions may give me some clue.
A photo if loaded, will be very valuable.


I would advise a surgical opinion and evaluation. An ultrasound may be needed.
You should also do a basic lab like hemogram, urine routine, Xray chest.
Please keep me updated. Do not delay as you have difficulty swallowing and breathing. It can get serious.

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