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Smoker, Noticed Hard, Immovable, Painless Mass Between Chin, Ear. What Is It?
Hi. My son is 29 and a smoker. Last week, he noticed a marble-sized, hard, immovable, painless mass between his chin and his lower ear. It is closer to the chin, He said it can not be seen on the outside, but he can see it slightly on the inside of his mouth. He is looking for a doctor now. He has new insurance and is trying to get established. Any ideas as to what he is dealing with? Thank you for your help :-)
posted on
Fri, 18 Oct 2013
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Fri, 18 Oct 2013
Answered on
Sat, 19 Oct 2013
Last reviewed on
hello there!
29 years is young, history is acute, no pain, how is the oral hyiene. could be parotid but too short to be sure about. could be a lymph node. had he previous recent throat or ear infections? is that swelling having some erosion in it? any ulcer? is it smooth or irregular in margins? painless mass is always a suspicion to be followed up and even biopsied, but its too early to tell.
better get examined and investigated and even biopsied if needed in the nearby facility. that would help. it is very vague and saying a daignosis from this data would be firing in the air :) cheers and good luck
29 years is young, history is acute, no pain, how is the oral hyiene. could be parotid but too short to be sure about. could be a lymph node. had he previous recent throat or ear infections? is that swelling having some erosion in it? any ulcer? is it smooth or irregular in margins? painless mass is always a suspicion to be followed up and even biopsied, but its too early to tell.
better get examined and investigated and even biopsied if needed in the nearby facility. that would help. it is very vague and saying a daignosis from this data would be firing in the air :) cheers and good luck
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Thank you for consulting with Healthcare Magic.
The swelling by your description points toward a growth from the parotid gland. But for a definite diagnosis physical examination is required. I'd advise you to get him examined by a surgeon. Then he may be doing further investigations like biopsy to confirm the origin and nature of the swelling.
The mass arising from salivary gland can be a tumor. He also has smoking as a risk factor. Hence making a definite diagnosis is important.
The swelling by your description points toward a growth from the parotid gland. But for a definite diagnosis physical examination is required. I'd advise you to get him examined by a surgeon. Then he may be doing further investigations like biopsy to confirm the origin and nature of the swelling.
The mass arising from salivary gland can be a tumor. He also has smoking as a risk factor. Hence making a definite diagnosis is important.
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