Bump between neck and shoulders

The frequency of mobile phone use in daily life is self-evident. In addition, many white-collar workers need to work at their desks for long periods of time, which leads to a high incidence of various neck-related diseases. If the bulge between the neck and shoulder only appears on one side, it may be caused by a lipoma. The chance of malignancy is not very high, so it is necessary to confirm the diagnosis as soon as possible and treat the lipoma in time.

If there is a bulge between one side of the neck and shoulder, it may be a lipoma. Lipoma is a common benign soft tissue tumor composed of mature fat cells and can occur in any part of the body where there is fat. It is more common on the shoulders, back, neck, breasts and abdomen, followed by the proximal extremities (such as upper arms, thighs, and buttocks). It is mainly found under the skin, which is called superficial lipoma. It can also be found deep in the limbs and between the muscle bellies, which is called deep lipoma. The patients are mostly older, mostly middle-aged people between 40 and 60 years old, and less common in children. Deep lipomas often grow along the muscles and can reach deep into the periosteum, but rarely invade adjacent bones. Lipomas rarely become malignant and are easily removed surgically.

Causes

The cause of lipoma is not yet fully understood. It may be related to factors such as inflammatory stimulation of connective tissue degeneration, abnormal and disordered adipose tissue metabolism, abnormal secretion of anterior pituitary gonadal hormone levels, congenital dysplasia, and intestinal malnutrition. About 1/3 of patients with multiple lipomas may have a family history.

There is a "lipoma tumorigenic factor" in the human body. Under normal circumstances, this tumorigenic factor is in an inactivated state (inactive state) and will not cause disease under normal circumstances. However, under the influence of various internal and external environmental factors, this lipoma tumorigenic factor is in an active state and has a certain activity. When the body's resistance decreases, the body's lymphocytes, mononuclear macrophages and other immune cells' ability to monitor the tumorigenic factor decreases. Coupled with changes in the body's internal environment, chronic inflammatory stimulation, abnormal systemic fat metabolism and other inducing conditions, the activity of the lipoma tumorigenic factor is further enhanced and combined with certain gene fragments in the body's normal cells to form abnormal gene mutations, causing an abnormal proliferation of normal fat cells and surrounding tissue cells, leading to the deposition of adipose tissue and the formation of lumps protruding from the body surface or various internal organs, namely lipomas.

Clinical manifestations

Superficial lipomas cause few symptoms other than a localized lump. It can be single or multiple, and the size can range from a few millimeters to tens of centimeters. The tumor grows slowly, has a soft texture, clear boundaries, is lobed, has good mobility when pushed, and can cause skin depression when moved. It rarely causes pain, and pain that does occur is often a late symptom caused by large lipomas compressing peripheral nerves.

Deep or subfascial lipomas can cause a variety of symptoms, depending on their location and size. If a lipoma is operated on, it may cause a feeling of stagnation or limitation of movement. Larger mediastinal lipomas may cause dyspnea or palpitations.

Lipomas are common in obese people, and their size increases when weight increases rapidly, but on the contrary, lipomas do not shrink when weight decreases severely.