Lymphomas can start anywhere in the body where lymph tissue is found. The major sites of lymph tissue are: Lymph nodes: Lymph nodes are bean-sized collections of lymphocytes and other immune system cells throughout the body, including inside the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.
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.
Blood tests can help your doctors detect the presence of some of the telltale signs of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. These may include anemia, or low levels of red blood cells, which are needed to carry oxygen to the body's organs and tissues.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma occurs more frequently among men than among women. It also occurs more frequently among Whites than among Blacks. Although children can get non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the risk of getting lymphoma increases with age. Approximately 70% of people diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma are age 50 and over.
There are no at-home tests available when it comes to Hodgkin lymphoma.
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.
Swollen lymph nodes, fever, and night sweats are common symptoms of lymphoma. 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.
Cytokines can irritate nerve endings in the skin, which can in turn cause persistent itching. 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.
Some people have Hodgkin lymphoma in their bone marrow when they're diagnosed. If you have this, it can cause the following symptoms: shortness of breath and tiredness because of anaemia from a low red blood cell count. increased risk of infections because of a low white cell count.
Hodgkin lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, which is a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body. The lymphatic system is part of your immune system.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is caused by a change (mutation) in the DNA of a type of white blood cell called lymphocytes, although the exact reason why this happens isn't known. DNA gives cells a basic set of instructions, such as when to grow and reproduce.
Is a type of cancer that generally develops in the lymph nodes and lymphatic tissue found in organs such as the stomach, intestines or skin. In some cases, NHL involves bone marrow and blood.
The most common sites are in the chest, neck, or under the arms. Hodgkin lymphoma most often spreads through the lymph vessels from lymph node to lymph node. Rarely, late in the disease, it can invade the bloodstream and spread to other parts of the body, such as the liver, lungs, and/or bone marrow.
Computed tomography (CT) scan
This scan can help tell if any lymph nodes or organs in your body are enlarged. CT scans are useful for looking for lymphoma in the abdomen, pelvis, chest, head, and neck. CT-guided needle biopsy: A CT can also be used to guide a biopsy needle into a suspicious area.
You might have an ultrasound scan to help diagnose non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Ultrasound scans are useful for looking at individual organs such as the liver and kidneys and showing any changes.
Complete blood count (CBC).
A low level of red blood cells, white blood cells or platelets may indicate that the lymphoma is present in the bone marrow and/or blood.
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.
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).
Exposure to radiation and certain types of chemicals can put some people at higher risk. Benzene and some agricultural chemicals have been implicated; people exposed in the workplace, who can be at highest risk, should follow occupational health guidelines to minimise exposure.
Age: Most cases occur in people older than 60. Exposure to certain chemicals, such as benzene, herbicides and pesticides, including exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service in the Vietnam War. Previous chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Radiation exposure.
Tests may include CT , MRI and positron emission tomography (PET). Lymph node test. Your doctor may recommend a lymph node biopsy procedure to remove all or part of a lymph node for laboratory testing. Analyzing lymph node tissue in a lab may reveal whether you have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and, if so, which type.