Lymphoma in young rat

Question
Hi,
A couple of days ago I found a small peas sized lump under my rats chin on
her neck....not jaw.  It is hard and it moves...does not seem to be attached.  
We went to the vet today, she did a needle biopsy and I should get the results
in a couple of days.  What is the chance that it could be Lymphoma?  She is
only two months old.  Any information would be appreciated.  Thank you.
Tracy

Answer
I would be totally shocked.  To be honest, I am surprised it isnt an abscess.

Its more than likely benign. Lymphoma is not really common in rats.
No matter what it is, if its removed ASAP by a qualified vet that is a board certified exotic specialist that has all of the proper implements at his or her disposal to operate on your girl, it can be easily removed.  I would have it removed and have her spayed while your at it. If she is already sprouting tumors if that is what it is, chances are high she will be like the other intact female rats and has a 70% chance of developing mammary tumors after menopause age (between 18 and 24 months)  Spaying her around 3 months of age is recommended to prevent this from happening.  Again, I would only let a certified exotic specialist operate on a young rat rather than a general DVM that just sees exotics as a special interest.  These vets are more equipped to care for dogs and cats rather than accommodate small mammals like rats and are not as experienced since they did not take the extended required courses and internship in exotic medicine and state board exams in order to become certified.  

Just a heads up for other readers too, so they realize the serious nature of this situation when your dealing with young rats facing possible surgery.

If you tell me your vet has all of these qualifications,I would say you have everything in check and once you find out the results of the biopsy,  your vet will give you different options to choose from as far as surgery goes.  Some exotic vets even use low dose radiation successfully when dealing with malignant tumors so no matter what, even if it would be cancer, chances are it can be removed successfully and the little one will be just fine.

Hang in there!