Nodule (dermatology)

Nodule

Nodules: may appear on the surface of the skin or beneath it[1]
Specialty| Dermatology
Symptoms| Small firm lump in skin[2]

A nodule is a small firm lump that is typically larger than 0.5cm or 1 cm in diameter, and may appear on the surface of the skin or beneath it, at varying depths.[3][4] Other than its size, it is similar to a papule.[2] It may feel soft, rubbery or firm.[5] If filled with fluid it is referred to as a cyst.[1] An hemangioma is a large nodule filled with blood vessels.[6]

Nodules in skin include dermatofibroma[7] and pyogenic granuloma.[8]

The evaluation of a skin nodule includes a description of its appearance, its location, how it feels to touch and any associated symptoms which may give clues to an underlying medical condition.[9]

## Contents

* 1 Definition
* 2 Differential diagnosis
* 3 Other nodules
* 3.1 Gallery
* 4 Evaluation
* 5 See also
* 6 Reference
* 7 External links

## Definition[edit | edit source]

Nodules are small firm lumps usually greater than 1 cm in diameter, found in skin and other organs.[1][4] If filled with fluid they are usually softer and referred to as cysts.[1]

## Differential diagnosis[edit | edit source]

Nodules may form on tendons and muscles in response to injury,[10] and are frequently found on vocal cords,[11] They occur in conditions including endometriosis,[12] neurofibomatosis,[8] and in rheumatoid arthritis.[13] They may also feature in Kaposi's sarcoma[14] and gonorrhea.[15]

## Other nodules[edit | edit source]

Nodules may form on tendons and muscles in response to injury,[10] and are frequently found on vocal cords.[11] They may occur in organs such as the lung,[16] or thyroid,[17] or be a sign in other medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis.[13]

### Gallery[edit | edit source]

* Dermatofibroma[7]

* Merkel cell carcinoma[8]

* Pyogenic granuloma[8]

* lipoma[8]

## Evaluation[edit | edit source]

The evaluation of a skin nodule includes a description of its appearance, its location, how it feels to touch and any associated symptoms which may give clues to an underlying medical condition.[9]

Often discovered unintentionally on a chest x-ray, a single nodule in the lung requires assessment to exclude cancer.[16]

## See also[edit | edit source]

* List of dermatology terminology

## Reference[edit | edit source]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Oakley, Amanda. "Terminology in dermatology | DermNet NZ". dermnetnz.org. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 James, William D.; Elston, Dirk; Treat, James R.; Rosenbach, Misha A.; Neuhaus, Isaac (2020). "2. Cutaneous signs and diagnosis". Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology (13th ed.). Elsevier. p. 11\. ISBN 978-0-323-54753-6.
3. ↑ Hopcroft, Keith; Forte, Vincent (2020). "Skin: nodules". Symptom Sorter. Boca Raton: CRC Press. pp. 408–410. ISBN 978-0-367-46810-1. Archived from the original on 2023-09-19. Retrieved 2023-09-19.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Mosby (2013). Mosby's Medical Dictionary - E-Book. Elsevier. pp. 1235–1236. ISBN 978-0-323-11258-1. Archived from the original on 2016-06-08. Retrieved 2021-01-13.
5. ↑ Bolognia, Jean L.; Schaffer, Julie V.; Duncan, Karynne O.; Ko, Christine (2022). "1. Basics". Dermatology Essentials (2nd ed.). Elsevier. p. 6\. ISBN 978-0-323-70971-2. Archived from the original on 2024-02-12. Retrieved 2024-02-12.
6. ↑ Morris-Jones, Rachael (2019). "1. Introduction". In Morris-Jones, Rachael (ed.). ABC of Dermatology (7th ed.). Hoboken: Wiley Blackwell. p. 3\. ISBN 978-1-119-48899-6. Archived from the original on 2023-02-09. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Linton, Christina P. (March 2011). "Essential Morphologic Terms and Definitions". Journal of the Dermatology Nurses' Association. 3 (2): 102–103. doi:10.1097/JDN.0b013e318211c6f0. ISSN 1945-760X. Archived from the original on 28 August 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 "Dermal and subcutaneous lesions | DermNet NZ". dermnetnz.org. Archived from the original on 26 November 2020. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Evangelisto, Amy; Werth, Victoria; Schumacher, H. Ralph (October 2006). "What is that nodule? A diagnostic approach to evaluating subcutaneous and cutaneous nodules". Journal of Clinical Rheumatology: Practical Reports on Rheumatic & Musculoskeletal Diseases. 12 (5): 230–240. doi:10.1097/01.rhu.0000240034.72958.2f. ISSN 1076-1608. PMID 17023809. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Ashton-Miller, James A. (1999). "Response of Muscle and Tendon to Injury and Overuse". National Academies Press (US). Archived from the original on 29 August 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help)
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "BRITISH VOICE ASSOCIATION : Vocal nodules". www.britishvoiceassociation.org.uk. Archived from the original on 24 March 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
12. ↑ Nisenblat V, Bossuyt PM, Farquhar C, Johnson N, Hull ML (February 2016). "Imaging modalities for the non-invasive diagnosis of endometriosis". The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. 2: CD009591. doi:10.1002/14651858.cd009591.pub2. PMC 7100540. PMID 26919512. "painful palpable nodules"
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Rheumatoid nodules in rheumatoid arthritis (RA)". NRAS. Archived from the original on 25 February 2021. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
14. ↑ Massi, Daniela; Luzar, Boštjan; Alos, Llucia (2016). "15. Common skin tumours of the head and neck". In Cardesa, Antonio; Slootweg, Pieter J.; Gale, Nina; Franchi, Alessandro (eds.). Pathology of the Head and Neck. Springer. p. 737\. ISBN 978-3-662-49670-1.
15. ↑ Berg, Dale; Worzala, Katherine (2006). "3. Female genitourinary examination". Atlas of Adult Physical Diagnosis. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. p. 55\. ISBN 978-0-7817-4190-3. Archived from the original on 2021-08-28. Retrieved 2021-05-09.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Kikano, George E.; Fabien, Andre; Schilz, Robert (15 December 2015). "Evaluation of the Solitary Pulmonary Nodule". American Family Physician. 92 (12): 1084–1091. ISSN 0002-838X. PMID 26760594. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
17. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `Britton`

## External links[edit | edit source]

* Diseases Database (DDB): 29379

* v
* t
* e

Overview of tumors, cancer and oncology (C00–D48, 140–239)

Conditions|

| Benign tumors|

* Hyperplasia
* Cyst
* Pseudocyst
* Hamartoma

|

Malignant progression|

* Dysplasia
* Carcinoma in situ
* Cancer
* Metastasis
* Primary tumor
* Sentinel lymph node

Topography|

* Head and neck (oral, nasopharyngeal)
* Digestive system
* Respiratory system
* Bone
* Skin
* Blood
* Urogenital
* Nervous system
* Endocrine system

Histology|

* Carcinoma
* Sarcoma
* Blastoma
* Papilloma
* Adenoma

Other|

* Precancerous condition
* Paraneoplastic syndrome

Staging/grading|

* TNM
* Ann Arbor
* Prostate cancer staging
* Gleason grading system
* Dukes classification

Carcinogenesis|

* Cancer cell
* Carcinogen
* Tumor suppressor genes/oncogenes
* Clonally transmissible cancer
* Oncovirus
* Carcinogenic bacteria

Misc.|

* Research
* Index of oncology articles
* History
* Cancer pain
* Cancer and nausea

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template