However, many people, especially those with follicular lymphoma, small lymphocytic lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, and indolent subtypes, will have no symptoms or signs. And, conditions that are not lymphoma can also cause many of the symptoms and signs of NHL.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) can cause many different signs and symptoms, depending on the type of lymphoma and where it is in the body. Sometimes it might not cause any symptoms until it grows quite large. Having one or more symptoms doesn't mean you definitely have lymphoma.
low-grade or indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma – where the cancer grows slowly and you may not experience any symptoms for many years.
The most common symptom of Hodgkin lymphoma is a painless swelling in a lymph node.
Low grade lymphoma, also known as indolent lymphoma, is usually very slow growing and most often incurable, though many patients respond positively to treatment.
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.
Because follicular lymphoma typically grows slowly and might not cause any symptoms, it is often advanced (stage 3 or 4) by the time it is diagnosed. There are treatments for all stages of follicular lymphoma, which can usually keep the lymphoma under control for many years.
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.
You may have no symptoms of follicular lymphoma. If you do have symptoms, you may have: Painless swelling of the lymph nodes in your neck, groin, stomach, or armpits.
Indolent lymphomas are the slowest growing of all NHLs. They account for around 40% of all cases of NHL.
The most common early symptom of lymphoma is one or more swollen lymph nodes, often in the groin, armpit, and side of the neck. Other symptoms may include: fevers, chills, and night sweats.
Conditions that non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is commonly misdiagnosed as include: Influenza. Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Most types of lymphoma can't be diagnosed by a blood test. However, blood tests can help your medical team find out how lymphoma and its treatment are affecting your body.
Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease.
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.
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.
Low-grade lymphoma is found during a routine medical examination as it is not common to have many obvious symptoms. Thorough diagnostic testing is required to determine the type and stage of the disease.
Peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCLNOS) often causes symptoms such as fever, night sweats and unintentional weight loss. Anaplastic large cell lymphomas (ALCL) may come with symptoms such as fever, backache, painless swelling of lymph nodes, poor appetite, itchy skin, rashes and fatigue.
Persistent, severe fatigue is a common symptom among people with Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Fatigue can be caused by lymphoma itself, or it can be a side effect of lymphoma treatments like chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Itching caused by lymphoma can affect: areas of skin near lymph nodes that are affected by lymphoma. patches of skin lymphoma. your lower legs.
Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma or Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.
This is a rare, slow-growing type of lymphoma. It's found mainly in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen. This type of lymphoma can't be cured.
MALT lymphoma belongs to a group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas called marginal zone lymphomas. It is a low grade (slow growing) non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) that starts in the mucosa which lines some body organs and cavities.
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.