Lymphoma Signs

To understand the signs and symptoms of lymphoma, it is important to know what parts of the body are being affected by this condition. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, a part of the body’s immune system. The cells that become malignant are the T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes. When they accumulate in number and size, they form a mass in the lymph nodes and can slowly affect other parts of the body such as the bone marrow, spleen, and liver. Although there are a lot of types of lymphoma, they are mostly identified under two major classifications: Hodgkin’s lymphoma (formerly known as Hodgkin’s disease) and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

One of the major lymphoma signs is an enlarged lymph node. A lymph node that is greater than 2 cm in size, lasting for more than 2 weeks is a usual indicator of lymphoma. The lymph node is not painful, rubbery, and does not show any signs of decreasing in size. Other lymphoma signs and symptoms include night sweats, unexplained weight loss and fever. Abdominal distention is also noted in lymphoma. An enlarged spleen (splenomegaly) and/or an enlarged liver (hepatomegaly) are lymphoma signs that cause this condition. Nausea and vomiting, weakness, anemia, are also other symptoms of lymphoma and can be attributed due to affectation in the bone marrow and spleen.

The severity of lymphoma signs and symptoms depend on the stage of lymphoma. However, some types of lymphoma, particularly Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, are indolent or slow-growing types. This would mean that manifested lymphoma signs are indicative of Stage III or Stage IV lymphoma. Prognosis is good when lymphoma is diagnosed on an early stage, but a relative 5-year survival rate after lymphoma diagnosis at Stage III or Stage IV is still observed in some types of lymphoma. Treatment is based on the severity of lymphoma signs and symptoms, as well as from staging. Treatment of radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and steroids are common management for lymphoma. It is vital that you comply with your treatment regimen no matter what stage you have been diagnosed so you can increase your chance of surviving the disease.