Two pea size lumps on right side of neck

[ital35]

I have two pea size lumps on the right side of my neck. One is about 1/2 way down my neck the other is just about 1/2 inch below that close to my colar bone felt more when i extend my neck back. At times the lumps feel larger and sometimes smaller.  I also had a cough that is going away for about 2 weeks now which produced clear sputum at times. I also had my thyroid removed about 2 years ago. The lumps are both movable and not painful. Can this be some sort of cancer. Did anyone ever experience anything like this? Im a little concerned, I set up an appointment with the ENT that peformed my thyroid surgery. Can these lumps be lymph nodes?

[ital35]

Thank You so much. I am a little nervous still. I am feeling some upper back pain as well. I am not having a problem swallowing no blood or any other issue. I am a little worried about esophageal cancer.

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
They could very well be enlarged lymph nodes due to the throat infection.
When the body is fighting an infection, lymphocytes multiply rapidly and produce a characteristic swelling of the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes act as filters or traps for foreign particles and contain white blood cells.These cells then destroy foreign invaders.
The anterior cervical lymph nodes,  both superficial and deep, lie above and beneath the sternocleidomastoid muscles.( the muscle in the neck)
They drain the internal structures of the throat as well as part of the posterior pharynx, tonsils, and thyroid gland.
So any disease in any of these structures will cause these nodes to enlarge.
ref:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymph_nodes