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KEY POINTS
- Coronavirus vaccine may cause lymph nodes to swell
- Side effects reflect signs of breast cancer
- Experts recommend having a mammogram before getting the vaccine or four weeks after the second dose
An alarming side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine is reported in women after being injected with the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
There have been recent reports of women finding large, painful bumps under their arms after receiving their COVID-19 injections. Swollen lymph nodes are a known side effect of the vaccine, but may also reflect signs of breast cancer.
“I panicked, I admit, at first… I had a big, visible, painful lump,” Dr. Bridget Rogers told CBS4’s Kathy Walsh. Rogers is a radiologist specializing in breast imaging at Solis Mammography.
“I tried to reassure myself by reminding myself that this is actually a sign that the vaccine is doing what it was supposed to do, activate your immune system,” she added.
Dr Rogers had just received his second dose of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine the day before. While the lump “started to improve” after two days, she says there have been other reports of visibly enlarged lymph nodes from her colleagues.
Researchers in the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine trial reported 64 cases of swollen lymph nodes among its 2,000 vaccinated.
Experts have advised patients who have received the new coronavirus vaccine to postpone their annual mammograms before receiving the vaccine or four weeks after the second dose to avoid confusion.
Dr Tan Yah Yuen, breast surgeon at Mount Elizabeth Hospital, has warned that swelling of the lymph nodes in the armpits could lead doctors to mistakenly suspect breast cancer.
“If the clinical suspicion is that the swollen lymph node is due to the vaccination and not to breast cancer, a repeat ultrasound may be done in two to three months to follow the swollen lymph nodes for resolution,” Yuen told Straits Times.
Swollen lymph nodes may be seen after the first or second dose. Side effects can also occur in men. The condition usually resolves within 10 days of getting the vaccine.
Women in remission from cancer are also advised to discuss their mammogram or ultrasound with their doctor. Yuen also recommended having the opposite arm vaccinated to avoid false alarms of recurrence.
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