Lymphomas (Non-Hodgkin's)

Description

Symptoms

The most common first sign of lymphomas is painless enlargement of one or more lymph node, usually in the neck, armpits, or groin. Patients should see their doctors if these symptoms do not go away within two to three weeks.

The most frequently seen lumps or swellings in the neck are enlarged lymph nodes. This can be caused by bacterial or viral infections, malignancy, and other rare causes.

Systemic and B Symptoms

Lymphomas sometimes cause systemic symptoms, which are those that affect the whole body, rather than just the specific location of the disease. Some systemic symptoms are referred to as B symptoms. Patients who have B symptoms have a more severe condition than asymptomatic patients with the same cancer stage or tumor location or size.

B systemic symptoms include the following:

• Drenching night sweats and weight loss.
• Fever is often present, which may occur only at night in episodes that last several days followed by periods of no fever.

Other systemic symptoms include:

• Itching all over the body; it is caused by the release of histamines, substances ordinarily triggered by an allergic response. In the case of NHL, this is due to abnormalities in the immune system. Although this is a systemic symptom, it is not usually considered a B symptom if other systemic symptoms are not also present.
• In late stages, some patients develop a skin rash.
• Tumor masses in the chest can cause coughing or breathlessness.
• Lymphomas in the stomach can cause nausea and vomiting.