Lump in the groin: possible causes and their treatments

Cancer is a social and medical threat that is very present on a daily basis. It is estimated that one in two men will present a cancerous tumor before their death, while the figure for women is somewhat lower, but equally worrisome (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 can go on citing facts about cancer for hours, but we all know someone who has suffered from it or has lost a family member to it: we know its importance and risks. What is worth noting is that, oddly enough, not all tumors are cancers and not all cancers present with swellings. For example, 80% of the lumps that appear in the salivary glands are benign and 90% of visits to the gynecologist by young women concerned with breast lumps stay in scares.

Based on this premise, we can state 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 is a lump in the groin or groin swelling, what are its causes and the possible treatments that can be carried out to put an end to it.

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What is a groin lump?

A tumor is any alteration of a tissue that causes an increase in its volume. Although we directly associate it with cancer, the swelling process is totally normal in our body: together with pain, redness 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 that occurs in the body. In any case, it is usually used to designate a specific event in the context of neoplasia, that is, a rapid and disorderly cell proliferation that causes excessive growth in a tissue concrete.

In this case, we pay 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 it presents a high amount of apocrine sweat glands in its tissue. In this area is the inguinal canal, a structure that contains blood and lymphatic vessels, the ilioinguinal nerve, the spermatic cord in men, and the round ligament in women.

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

Possible Causes of a Lump in the Groin

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

At this point, it should be noted that we are not going to cover those superficial lumps that can arise from sporadically for any innocuous reason: insect bite, pimples, ingrown hairs, etc We assume that these clinical entities are widely known at a general level, so we look at the most “internalized” possible formations, which are the ones that usually set off alarm bells. Do not miss it.

1. lymphomas

lymphoma It is the most common type of circulatory cancer in the world and the third most common type of malignancy in children.. There are more than 35 different types of lymphomas, so focusing on the particularities of each one of them is impossible. 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 100,000 men and 5.2 out of 100,000 women.

A lump in the groin from lymphoma exemplifies that lymphocytes (defensive cells of the system) are proliferating excessively 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, leading to a palpable swelling in the groin area. As with other types of cancers, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and bone marrow transplantation are usually the ways to go in these cancer patients.

2. Secondary cancers

Due to the close contact of the lymphatic channels with the tissues of the body, 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 analysis of the lymph nodes adjacent to the breast are usually a good indicator of the growth rate of the primary tumor.

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 node are the same as those of the primary tumor, wherever it is. For this reason, we speak of a secondary swelling and, here the term "metastasis" comes into play.

• You may be interested in: "Types of cancer: definition, risks and how they are classified"

3. Inguinal hernia

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

Inguinal hernias manifest as protrusions of the intestine in the pubic/groin areas, which translates into a groin lump that becomes more apparent when the patient is upright or exerting himself.

Some do not have specific causes, while others can be attributed to continued physical overexertion over time, intrinsic abdominal muscle weakness, or chronic coughing. To fix a hernia, you have to undergo surgery (either laparoscopic or open).

4. Infection

In this case, we are talking about a phenomenon known as adenopathy or lymphadenopathy. Lymph nodes swell near the body sources where an infection is occurring, since here the first contacts between the antigen of the pathogen and the B and T lymphocytes take place, 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 infection. The best-known lymphadenopathies are those that occur in the neck nodes as a result of an infection of the airways. upper respiratory tract, but the inguinal nodes can also be enlarged by an infection, especially if it is of an sexual.

For this reason, a lump in the groin can be a sign of chlamydia, gonorrhea, or genital herpes. In these cases it is necessary to resort to antibiotic or antifungal treatments, 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-limited and they do not invade other tissues, so there is no metastatic potential. Lipomas appear in the form of 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, since they hardly ever report complications.

6. Cyst

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

Summary

As you may have seen, there are many causes of a possible lump in the groin. If this formation appears gradually or has been present since you were born, 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 due to an infectious process.

In any case, we cannot forget the importance of lymphomas or the indications of metastasis, which are sometimes inflamed lymph nodes. The best thing is that, in the event of any suspicion or emergence of an atypical lump, go to the doctor promptly to heal yourself.

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.
• Salaam, G. TO. (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. Surgery Notebooks, 21(1), 43-51.