Common symptoms of having lymphoma include swelling of lymph nodes in your neck, in your armpits or your groin. This is often but not always painless and often could be associated with fevers, or unexplained weight loss, or drenching night sweats, sometimes chills, persistent fatigue.
Persistent fatigue, lethargy, weakness. Loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting. Abdominal pain or swelling, or a feeling of fullness. Skin rash or itchy skin.
If you have lymphoma, cancerous white blood cells (that make up the lymphoma) are produced instead of the healthy white blood cells. This can make you develop infections more easily. The infections could be more severe or last for longer than they would normally.
The lumps may be confined to one area of the body, such as the neck, or develop in multiple areas, such as the neck, armpits and groin. Lymphoma lumps have a rubbery feel and are usually painless. While some lymphoma lumps develop within a matter of days, others can take months or even years to become noticeable.
Symptoms of Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma include swollen lymph nodes, especially in the part of the body where the lymphoma starts to grow. Other symptoms include fever, night sweats, feeling tired, and weight loss. These symptoms can also come from other conditions.
Blood Tests for Lymphoma
Blood tests are essential to accurately diagnosing this complex disease. These tests can show whether you have lymphoma cells or abnormal levels of normal cells: Blood smear: We take a drop of blood and look at it under a microscope.
Helplessness and loss of control
It's common to feel a loss of control after a lymphoma diagnosis. Some people describe feeling passive in their lives and a sense of things 'happening to them'. For example, you might know where and when you need to be at medical appointments.
Symptoms of lymphoma often depend on the type you have, what organs are involved, and how advanced your disease is. Some people with lymphoma will experience obvious signs of the disease, while others won't notice any changes.
Cancer-related fatigue is exhaustion that's at a much higher level than would usually be expected – you might feel tired very quickly after doing quite little. It can be physical, emotional or mental exhaustion.
You feel as if you have no energy and could spend whole day in bed. Waking up tired after a full night's sleep. Feeling sluggish or slow. Trouble thinking and making decisions.
Lymphoma often makes it difficult to sleep. Many people who have lymphoma deal with disrupted sleep schedules, painful symptoms, uncomfortable treatment side effects, or anxious thoughts. Having trouble sleeping can often take a toll and lead to a worse quality of life.
The symptoms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma vary based on the specific subtype of lymphoma a patient has. However, the most common signs of non-Hodgkin lymphoma are pain and swelling in the lymph nodes, which are small glands located throughout the body – particularly in the neck, underarms or groin.
Biopsies and other tests can confirm the stage of the cancer to see whether it has spread to other parts of the body. Imaging tests: A doctor may request imaging scans, such as: a CT scan. an MRI scan.
Lymph nodes commonly swell if we have an infection but they usually go back to normal over a short time. With lymphoma, the lymph nodes often grow slowly and may be there for months or years before they're noticed. But sometimes they grow very quickly.
Diffuse large B cell lymphoma
This fast-growing lymphoma accounts for about one third of NHL cases. For this lymphoma, it is typical for lymph nodes to double in size every month, and patients often present within a few months of having noted an enlarged lymph node.
Misdiagnosis of Lymphoma
Lymphoma can be misdiagnosed or fail to be diagnosed if a physician mistakes symptoms for another disease and fails to do a biopsy or blood test.
It can also begin in groups of lymph nodes under an arm, in the groin, or in the abdomen or pelvis. If Hodgkin lymphoma spreads to areas that are not lymph nodes, the most common locations include the lung, spleen, liver, bone marrow, or bone.
Many individuals experience this itchiness in their hands, lower legs or feet, while others feel it throughout their entire body. Patients often report that the itching tends to worsen while they are lying in bed at night.
A CT scan might show which lymph nodes are enlarged and may be affected by non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). A CT scan is a test that uses x-rays and a computer to create detailed pictures of the inside of your body. It takes pictures from different angles.