Can swelling from COVID-19 vaccines cause false alarms on mammograms or other cancer checks that are done soon after the shots are given?
Lymph nodes, especially in the armpit, sometimes will temporarily swell after the vaccinations. It’s a normal reaction by the immune system but one that might be mistaken for cancer if it shows up on a mammogram or other scan.
Cancer experts and radiologists say anyone who’s getting a mammogram or other cancer check should let their doctor know if they were recently vaccinated for COVID-19.
An expert panel from three cancer centers -- MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering and Boston’s Dana-Farber -- published recommendations in the journal Radiology in February on how to handle scans complicated by the side effect.
The main message: “This should not prevent patients from getting the vaccine,” said one of the coauthors, Dr. Melissa Chen, a radiologist at MD Anderson. Radiologists also stress that urgent exams should not be delayed.
