If it is cancer, I suspected oral cancer because whatever is in my neck seems to be growing down from right under the jaw down to in front of my windpipe. Plus the floor of my mouth on the right side feels more raised up than the left side. I'm most worried about cancer because I have had 6 doctor visits so far, all of whom think that this "might" be an infection. I have taken 30 erythromycin pills, and today am on my last dose of Ketek or telithromycin (a 10 pill supply with the front of the box reading 400 mg). The first set of pills did seem to lower my blood count a bit, but did not change the swollen nodes in my neck at all. This second set also has not made a difference. As to family members with cancer, my mother had cancer of the stomach lining (I think) and my grandfather had some type of throat cancer (although he developed it late in life and smoked for many years). I don't live next to an oil refinery, but both of my parents have been smoking my entire life. And I am so sorry to take anything at all away from those who are truly sick, but I've probably done the worst thing I can by researching online and finding that hard, swollen, painless lymph nodes are generally not a good sign, especially since I haven't been sick or had any other symptoms at all. And after 6 doctor visits with no definitive diagnosis, I'm starting to lose faith in them as well. So far I've encountered the standard approach: You're 19, this has to be an infection because we don't see that many people your age who do have cancer. But as Brian said, infectious nodes are supposed to hurt. Mine never have at any point during all of this. And I don't want to keep waiting and waiting for months if this isn't an infection, because I really don't think it is. I don't hurt and I'm not physically sick. And I typically never jump to conclusions- I hate visiting the doctors and I hate taking pills, but this has really gotten me shaken. And again, I'm so sorry to take away from patients on this board, but I am so depressed at hearing, "Well, this MIGHT be an infection, so we'll treat you for that." I just want a doctor to tell me the EXACT reason why this is going on, not a maybe or perhaps.