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. Usually, the swollen nodes don't hurt. But some people say their lumps ache or are painful.
Burkitt lymphoma is considered the most aggressive form of lymphoma and is one of the fastest growing of all cancers.
Low-Grade Lymphoma
These grow so slowly that patients can live for many years mostly without symptoms, although some may experience pain from an enlarged lymph gland. After five to 10 years, low-grade disorders begin to progress rapidly to become aggressive or high-grade and produce more severe symptoms.
Burkitt lymphoma grows very rapidly, which means that symptoms usually develop quickly, over just a few days or weeks. The most common symptom is one or more lumps, which often develop in several parts of your body. These are swollen lymph nodes.
NHL is a disease that usually comes on suddenly and gets worse quickly. Symptoms vary depending on where tumor(s) are. These are the most common locations and their symptoms: Abdomen – pain, swelling, fever, anemia, tiredness, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and irregular periods.
Burkitt's lymphoma
This lymphoma is very rapidly growing, and lymph nodes double in size within a few days to a few weeks. While it is rapidly growing, it is curable in many patients when diagnosed early.
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.
For stage I NHL, the 5-year relative survival rate is more than 86%. For stage II the 5-year relative survival rate is 78%, and for stage III it is more than 72%. For stage IV NHL, the 5-year relative survival rate is almost 64%.
Stage 4. Stage 4 is the most advanced stage of lymphoma. Lymphoma that has started in the lymph nodes and spread to at least one body organ outside the lymphatic system (for example, the lungs, liver, bone marrow or solid bones) is advanced lymphoma.
More than 80 percent of all patients diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma can be cured by current treatment approaches. The cure rate is higher, approaching 90 percent, in younger patients and those with early-stage favorable disease.
Lymph nodes can swell for a variety of reasons and are considered to be enlarged if they are bigger than 1.5 centimeters in diameter, or slightly larger than a pea. Typically, lymph nodes that are enlarged due to lymphoma are much bigger and can grow to be the size of a grape (or larger).
Aggressive lymphoma, also known as high-grade lymphoma, is a group of fast growing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Some common symptoms for aggressive lymphoma are weight loss, night sweats, nausea and recurrent fevers. Since these tumors are fast to grow and spread, immediate intervention is required after diagnosis.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma becomes more common as people get older. Unlike most cancers, rates of Hodgkin lymphoma are highest among teens and young adults (ages 15 to 39 years) and again among older adults (ages 75 years or older).
Survival for all non-Hodgkin lymphomas
around 65 out of every 100 people (around 65%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Lymphoma is often curable, especially in its initial stages.
Many people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) are cured. But your doctor cannot know straight away whether your lymphoma will come back or not. If your NHL comes back after treatment, your doctor might still be able to cure it.
Benign lymphoma, also called pseudolymphoma or benign lymphoid hyperplasia, is a rare noncancerous (benign) tumor made up of lymphocytes. Unlike other types of lymphoma, benign lymphoma is not cancer. Benign lymphoma may also be called follicular lymphoid hyperplasia or reactive lymphoid hyperplasia.
Your medical team are likely to suggest treatment if: your symptoms become difficult to cope with. you develop 'B symptoms' (night sweats, weight loss and fevers) your lymph nodes or spleen start to grow quickly or you develop swollen lymph nodes in new places.
Either of the following means the disease is stage I: The lymphoma is in only 1 lymph node area or lymphoid organ such as the tonsils (I). The cancer is found only in 1 area of a single organ outside of the lymph system (IE).
"About half of all patients can put off treatment for at least 3 years," Abetti says. "Some patients can be in watch-and-wait mode for 10 years or more." It's possible you'll never need treatment. There's no way to know for sure if you'll eventually need treatment.
Swollen lymph nodes and a lump: One of the most common signs of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a swollen lymph node or nodes, which causes a non-painful lump under the skin. Most commonly, this occurs on the side of the neck, under the arm or in the groin region.
low-grade or indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma – where the cancer grows slowly and you may not experience any symptoms for many years.
If left untreated, the disease can lead to death. If you decline life-saving treatment, you can choose to get support from palliative care (a medical team that manages your symptoms and pain). Later, hospice can support you in the final months to help you manage your quality of life.