Groin lump: possible causes and their treatments

Let's see what kind of diseases or alterations can cause a lump in the groin, and their symptoms.

Cancer is a social and medical threat that is very present in everyday life. It is estimated that one in two men will present a cancerous tumor before his death, while the figure in women is somewhat lower, but equally worrying (one in three). In 2018, a total of 18,000,000 cases of cancer were diagnosed, 11.7% of them lung neoplasms. This type of cancer, the most widespread in the world, claimed almost two million lives in 2020.

We could go on for hours citing facts about cancer, but we all know someone who has suffered from it or have lost a family member to it: we know its importance and risks. What is worth noting is that, strange as it may seem, not all tumors are cancers and not all cancers present with tumefactions.. For example, 80% of the lumps that appear in the salivary glands are benign and 90% of the visits to the gynecologist by young women concerned about breast lumps are just scares.

Based on this premise, we can affirm that a lump is not always associated with cancer (in many cases, the latter is one of the least likely options). Today we present you what a lump in the groin or groin swelling isWhat are its causes and the possible treatments that can be carried out to put an end to it.

What is an inguinal lump?

A tumor is any alteration of a tissue that causes an increase in its volume. Although we associate it directly with cancer, the swelling process is completely normal in our body.Tumors: along with pain, flushing and heat, swelling is one of the typical signs of inflammatory processes.

As indicated by the Clínica Universidad Navarra, a tumor is any swelling, lump or swelling present in the body. However, it is often used to designate a specific event in the context of neoplasia, i.e. a rapid and disorderly cellular proliferation that causes excessive growth in a specific tissue.

In this case, we turn our attention to the swellings that can appear in the groin. This is the part of the body where the thigh of the lower extremities meets the torso, and has a high number of apocrine sweat glands in its tissue. In this area is the inguinal canal, a structure containing blood and lymphatic vessels, the ilioinguinal nerve, the spermatic cord in men and the round ligament in women.

These facts are not only anatomically interesting, but explain why groin lumps sometimes appear suddenly in the groin area for no apparent reason. Most of the scenarios do not correspond to cancers, but to lymph nodes.but to swollen lymph nodes, as we will see later.

Possible causes of a groin lump

As indicated by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, most groin lumps can be grouped into the following clinical entities: cancer, leg infections, systemic infections or sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

At this point, it should be noted that we are not going to cover those superficial lumps that may arise sporadically for any innocuous reason: insect bites, pimples, ingrown hairs, etc. We assume that these clinical entities are widely known at a general level, so we look at the more "internalized" possible formations, which are the ones that usually sound the alarm bells. Don't miss.

1. Lymphomas

Lymphoma is the most common type of circulatory cancer in the world and the third most common type of malignant neoplasm in the pediatric age group.. There are more than 35 different types of lymphomas, so it is impossible to focus on the particularities of each of them. It is enough for us to know that non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are the seventh most widespread tumor group, occurring in 7.7 out of every 100,000 men and 5.2 out of every 100,000 women.

A lump in the groin due to lymphoma exemplifies that lymphocytes (defensive cells of the immune system) are proliferating inordinately in the lymphatic system due to mutations in their genome. As a result, the nodes in the inguinal canal may begin to swell and become more evident, resulting in a palpable swelling in the groin area. As with other types of cancers, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and bone marrow transplantation are usually the pathways to follow in these cancer patients.

2. Secondary cancers

Due to the close contact of the lymphatic channels with the body's tissues, it is normal for a tumor in any organ to spread to the lymph nodes first.. This is very common in breast cancers and, therefore, palpation and examination of the nodes adjacent to the breast are usually a good indication of the rate of primary tumor growth.

In the event that a lump in the groin corresponds to a cancer in another part of the body, it should be noted that we are not talking about a lymphoma. The cells that are proliferating in the lymph node are the same as those of the primary tumor, wherever it is located.. Therefore, we are talking about a secondary tumor, and this is where the term "metastasis" comes into play.

3. Inguinal hernia

A hernia occurs when a tissue or organ protrudes through a weak point of the abdominal muscles.. The prevalence of hernias reaches up to 40% of the population at some point in their lives, especially in people between 61 and 80 years of age (almost half of the patients are in this age range).

Inguinal hernias manifest themselves as protrusions of the bowel into the pubic/ingulum areas, resulting in a groin bulge that becomes more evident when the patient is upright or exerts himself/herself..

Some have no specific cause, while others can be attributed to continued physical overexertion over time, intrinsic abdominal muscle weakness or chronic coughing. To solve a hernia, it is necessary to undergo surgery (either laparoscopic or open type).

4. Infection

In this case, we speak of a phenomenon known as adenopathy or lymphadenopathy. The lymph nodes become swollen near the body foci where an infection is taking place.This is where the first contacts between the antigen of the pathogen and the B and T lymphocytes occur, thus developing a rapid and effective immune response.

The natural proliferation of lymphocytes (and therefore enlargement of the lymph nodes) in response to an inflammatory process is completely normal during an infectious condition. The best known lymphadenopathies are those that occur in the neck nodes in the face of an upper respiratory tract infection, but the groin nodes can also be enlarged by an infection, especially if it is of a sexual nature.

For this reason, a lump in the groin may be a sign of chlamydia, gonorrhea or genital herpes. In these cases it is necessary to resort to Antibiotic or antifungal treatment, depending on the nature of the pathogen with which the host has been infected.

5. Lipomas

A lipoma is a benign soft tissue tumor.. This means that the growth of its cells is self-limiting and they do not invade other tissues, so there is no metastatic potential. Lipomas present as fatty lumps (of adipose tissue) that are located very superficially, are painless and can "move" to the touch. They are the most common type of soft tissue tumor in adults and do not require treatment, as they rarely report complications.

6. Cyst

Epidermoid cysts are small non-cancerous superficial lumps that can appear anywhere on the body, although they are more frequent on the face, neck and trunk. This lump is usually due to an atypical proliferation of keratinocytes, but like lipoma, it is a completely harmless growth that does not need to be treated. that does not need to be treated, beyond aesthetic issues.

Summary

As you may have noticed, there are many causes of a possible lump in the groin. If this formation appears gradually or has been present since birth, you are probably dealing with a cyst or a lipoma. If, on the other hand, its appearance is sudden, it is most likely due to an inflamed lymph node caused by an infectious process.

In any case, we cannot forget the importance of lymphomas or the indications of metastasis, which are sometimes swollen lymph nodes. The best thing is that, in case of any suspicion or appearance of an atypical lump, you should go to the doctor as soon as possible to be on the safe side.

Bibliographic references:

• Balagué, O., Colomo, L., & Campo, E. (2004). Mantle cell lymphoma. Rev Esp Patol, 37(2), 159-72.
• Kingsnorth, A., & LeBlanc, K. (2003). Hernias: inguinal and incisional. The Lancet, 362(9395), 1561-1571.
• Salam, G. A. (2002). Lipoma excision. American family physician, 65(5), 901.
• Venturelli, F., Uherek, F., Cifuentes, C., Folch, P., Felmer, O., & Valentin, P. (2018). Inguinal hernia: current concepts. Cuadernos de Cirugía, 21(1), 43-51.