Introduction
The symptoms of lymph gland cancer vary greatly and often begin insidiously. Often there are first warning symptoms, but these often go unnoticed because of their unspecificity. This is one of the reasons why lymph gland cancer is usually diagnosed by chance or when massive limitations have already occurred. The most common are the so-called B-symptoms consisting of reduced performance, night sweats and unintentional weight loss and a painless swelling of lymph nodes.
General symptoms
Many patients complain of flu-like symptoms such as tiredness, exhaustion or poor performance. Frequently, night sweats (which occur without a known infection), fever attacks and unintentional weight loss (which is significant if the weight loss exceeds 10% of the body weight within half a year) are also found. These three symptoms are also called B-symptoms and are an indicator of cancer in general.
In lymph gland cancer, these symptoms are associated with a slightly worse prognosis. The first warning signs, which can occur in both children and adults and are usually not associated with cancer, are a newly emerged lassitude and weakness. Affected patients have to make greater efforts to perform activities in everyday life that were previously unproblematic.
Patients have to pause more often than before when performing normal activities. Although the affected persons are surprised about this newly appeared weakness, they do not think of this serious illness as the triggering cause. However, it should not be forgotten that a new reduction in performance is not only a symptom of lymph gland cancer, but can also occur in many other diseases.
Furthermore, sweating is relatively common, which occurs mainly at night and is not present during the day. At night, the nightgown must be changed at least once, so night sweat does not refer to a simple light sweating at night. The reason why cancers in the early stages very often lead to post-sweating is the so-called tumor necrosis factor (TNF), which is produced by the body when the immune system reacts strongly and is directed against the cancer cells in the case of cancer.
The tumor necrosis factor causes a short-term, night-time rise in temperature in the body and triggers sweating. With this so-called night sweat in connection with a drop in performance, physicians usually become very sensitive and start to diagnose in the direction of finding the tumor. Furthermore, in the early stages of lymph gland cancer, in addition to the drop in performance and night sweats, abnormal weight loss is often described, although eating habits have not changed.
An abnormal and noticeable weight loss applies to an unintentional loss of about 10% of body weight in the last 6 months. In summary of these early symptoms, one must always think of a malignant disease of any kind. A common symptom of lymph node cancer is the swelling of lymph nodes.
However, such a swelling often occurs in healthy people, for example in the context of infections. The armpit area is one of the most common locations of lymph node swelling, since this is where many lymph nodes are located. In lymph gland cancer, swelling of lymph nodes in the neck or groin area can also occur.
In general, a painful swelling (pressure on the swollen lymph nodes is painful) is more likely to be an indication of a benign event, for example a swelling of the lymph nodes as part of a simple infection. Painless swelling and lack of mobility of the lymph node in relation to the surrounding tissue can be an indication of lymph node cancer. If the lymph node swelling persists for several weeks, a doctor should be consulted for further diagnosis.
Numerous lymph nodes are also localized on the neck as part of the immune system. Similar to the armpit, the swelling of one or more lymph nodes in the neck region can also be an indication of lymph gland cancer. However, here too, swelling of lymph nodes is much more common in the context of a simple infection and disappears again after a few days.
If the swelling persists for a longer period of time, the family doctor should be consulted to decide whether further diagnosis is necessary. Painlessly swollen lymph nodes and lack of mobility of the enlarged lymph node against the surrounding tissue should also be clarified by a physician.Back pain is basically a symptom that probably almost everyone has had at some point. It is therefore a very unspecific symptom that can have numerous causes.
From bad posture, degenerative changes in the spine to serious illness. One of them is the so-called plasmocytoma, also called multiple myeloma. This disease is one of the lymphomas.
It is not uncommon for the disease to cause so-called osteolyses (dissolution of bone) in certain areas. If such osteolysis occurs in the area of the spine, it can lead to increasing back pain. Pathological fractures can also occur in the course of the disease due to bone loss caused by tumor cells.
These are bone fractures that can occur under normal stress and are usually caused by a lack of bone stability. If fractures of the vertebral bodies occur, this can lead to severe back pain. It is difficult to differentiate when a patient with back pain should present himself to the treating general practitioner, as there is often a harmless cause behind it.
If back pain persists for several days a week, a presentation to the general practitioner can do no harm. After the physical examination, the general practitioner can then decide whether further diagnosis should be made. Itching can occur as a symptom of lymph gland cancer.
Often the itching affects the whole body and is very distressing for the patients concerned. In addition to purely herbal remedies or household remedies, there are numerous ointments with different active ingredients that have been developed for the treatment of itching or allergic reactions. There are also tablets containing antihistamines.
Fenistil is one of them. This is often very effective against itching, but leads to severe fatigue in many patients. Patients who suffer from itching in the context of lymphoma disease should talk to their treating oncologist (cancer specialist) regarding therapeutic options.
Itching, like back pain, is a very unspecific symptom. It can have numerous causes, often these are completely harmless. The symptoms that occur with lymph gland cancer in childhood can hardly differ from those that occur in adults.
A common symptom is swelling of the lymph nodes. These occur mainly in the area of the neck, armpits and groin. Swollen lymph nodes, which are painless and are difficult to move against the surrounding tissue, can give an indication of the presence of a malignant disease.
There may also be swelling of the lymph nodes around the abdomen or chest, which can lead to symptoms such as coughing, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. Other, but unspecific, symptoms in children with lymph node cancer may include the following: Weight loss, heavy night sweats, reduced appetite, reduced performance and weakness, fever and itching all over the body. Lymph gland cancer can also cause bone pain, back pain, headaches, swelling of the spleen and liver (usually not visible from the outside), anaemia and susceptibility to infection.
Most of these symptoms can also occur in the context of a harmless infection and should therefore not cause too much concern right at the beginning. If they persist over a longer period of time, however, a doctor should be consulted. Symptoms that almost always occur in lymph gland cancer are lymph node swellings that are not associated with an infection and that can occur at different lymph node stations in the body.
The lymph nodes can be the size of a grape or hazelnut, are usually not painful, not reddened and often cannot be moved against the skin. The consistency is usually rough and firm. In advanced stages, the lymph nodes can become the size of a fist.
It is important to distinguish them from lymph node swelling caused by an infection, which can already be present in a cold. However, this swelling of the lymph nodes usually disappears after a few weeks after the infection. In some cases, however, these lymph nodes may still remain thickened and palpable without this indicating cancer.
The lymph nodes in lymph gland cancer are usually palpable at the usual lymph node stations. These include the neck lymph nodes, the groin lymph nodes and the lymph node stations in the armpits. Hodgkin’s lymphoma (a subgroup of lymph gland cancers) occurs mainly in the neck, where it causes swelling.In addition to the superficial lymph nodes, which the physician can palpate during a physical examination, the cancer can also develop in lymph nodes that lie in the body.
This can also lead to swelling of lymph nodes in the chest and/or abdominal cavity. These lymph nodes can only be diagnosed by an ultrasound, CT or MRI examination of the abdomen or breast. The lymph node swelling, which in principle can occur throughout the entire body, can also exert pressure on the surrounding tissue.
In addition to the blood vessels, this includes above all the nerve tracts on which pressure can be exerted. This can then also lead to pain in very different parts of the body. The complex interconnection of the nerve tracts can also lead to transmission to regions of the body that are far away from the thickened lymph node station. This can lead to back or leg pain, for example.