Any reason other than cancer for PET scan to light up axillary lymph nodes? Have dissection biopsy in 2 days.

Previous HL diagnosis 2001, chemo and radiation. Scans clear for 5 years. The recent one shows only slight enlargement (less than 1 cm) of several nodes on CT and moderate uptake on PET. They are axillary and only one side) That is all. I have found several studies on the internet of false positives but minimal information about the accuracy of a PET on such a situation. I know more about false negatives. I have not had symptoms of which I am all too familiar with from the past. Low low fever, not even considered real fever, however, at times, I feel feverish. Things like fatigue are too general for me to say whether I have them or not. I am not a person to avoid doctors and am very knowledgeable of HL and NHL, so no links please. Just fact about whether or not the basic answer can be answered. Could my axillary lymph nodes on one side light up a PET scan for any reason other than neoplasm? Thanks for your time and effort. PS - I am very involved with the L&L Society.

I have seen them light up when there is inflammation present. I would expect that they would be larger if they were malignant. Given your history, I think it is important to biopsy and treat this as a malignancy until proven otherwise. Hopefully, you will be a false positive. Good luck with your biopsy.

hmm, I am an oncology nurse so neoplasm is automatically my first thought but I am thinking of other things. A localized infection, the lymph nodes could be mobalizing to fight the infection.