A granuloma is a small lump or nodule consisting of white blood cells. They are not cancerous.
Granulomas can be part of the immune system’s response to:
infectioninflammationirritantsforeign objectsWhen the cells clump together, they protect the body from potential threats in two ways. The first is keeping an infection in one place to stop it from spreading to other parts of the body. The second is isolating an irritant or foreign object so it cannot do any further damage to the body.
Sometimes, long-term conditions such as Crohn’s disease and sarcoidosis can cause granulomas.