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Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - Symptoms

Description

An in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Alternative Names

Lymphoma - non-Hodgkin's; NHL; B-cell lymphomas

Symptoms:

The most common first sign of lymphomas is painless enlargement of one or more lymph node, usually in the neck, armpits, or groin. These enlarged lymph nodes may cause discomfort depending on where they are located. For example, abdominal tumors may cause stomach distention or pain, while lymph nodes in the chest may cause coughing or difficulty breathing. Patients should see their doctors if these symptoms do not go away within 2 - 3 weeks.

Sometimes patients with NHL do not experience any symptoms, or symptoms may not appear until the cancer is very advanced. Enlarged lymph nodes can also be caused by many noncancerous conditions, such as infections.

The most common lumps or swellings in the neck are enlarged lymph nodes. They can be caused by bacterial or viral infections, cancer, and other rare causes.

Systemic and B Symptoms

Lymphomas sometimes cause systemic symptoms -- symptoms that affect the whole body, rather than a specific location. Some systemic generalized 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:

Drenching night sweats
Unexplained weight loss
Fever
Severe itching

Resources

www.cancer.gov -- National Cancer Institute
www.cancer.org -- American Cancer Society
www.leukemia.org -- The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
www.marrow.org -- National Marrow Donor Program
www.asco.org -- American Society of Clinical Oncology
www.lymphoma.org -- Lymphoma Research Foundation
www.cancer.net -- Cancer.Net
www.fhcrc.org/science/clinical/ltfu/patient -- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center -- Transplant Infection Guidelines for Patients
www.lymphomainfo.net -- Lymphoma Information Network
www.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials -- Find clinical trials

References

Armitage JO, Wyndham HW. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In: Abeloff MD, Armitage JO, Niederhuber JE, Kastan MB, McKena WG, eds. Clinical Oncology. 4th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2008:chap 112.

Boffetta P, de Vocht F. Occupation and the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2007: 16(3):369-72.

Cheson BD, Leonard JP. Monoclonal antibody therapy for B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. N Engl J Med. 2008 Aug 7;359(6):613-26.

Ferrara JL. Novel strategies for the treatment and diagnosis of graft-versus-host-disease. Best Pract Res Clin Haematol. 2007. 20(1):91-7.

Juweid ME, Stroobants S, Hoekstra OS, et al. Use of positron emission tomography for response assessment of lymphoma: consensus of the Imaging Subcommittee of International Harmonization Project in Lymphoma. J Clin Oncol. 2007 Feb 10;25(5):571-8. Epub 2007 Jan 22.

National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. V.1.2009.

Oeffinger KC, Ford JS, Moskowitz CS, Diller LR, Hudson MM, Chou JF, et al. Breast cancer surveillance practices among women previously treated with chest radiation for a childhood cancer. JAMA. 2009 Jan 28;301(4):404-14.

Pulte D, Gondos A, Brenner H. Ongoing improvement in outcomes for patients diagnosed as having Non-Hodgkin lymphoma from the 1990s to the early 21st century. Arch Intern Med. 2008 Mar 10;168(5):469-76.

Seam P, Juweid ME, Cheson BD. The role of FDG-PET scans in patients with lymphoma. Blood. 2007 Nov 15;110(10):3507-16. Epub 2007 Aug 20.

Reviewed last on: 3/5/2009
Harvey Simon, MD, Editor-in-Chief, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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