Symptoms on the lungs

Tumors can also occur in the lungs as part of the lymphoma disease. If it is not yet known that the affected person has lymphoma, this can be confused with lung cancer at the beginning. If the organ is now affected as part of the lymphoma, this may be an indication that the disease is already more advanced.

On the one hand, those affected with lung infestation suffer from general symptoms typically associated with the disease, such as enlarged, non-pressure painful lymph nodes in various parts of the body, as well as fatigue and performance slumps. In addition, fever, which can hardly be lowered, night sweats and an unintentional weight loss of more than 10 percent of the original body weight occur frequently. If lymphomas are localized in the lung, trachea and/or bronchi, they can compress the lung and airways, especially through constant growth, and can lead to problems with inhalation or exhalation, to shortness of breath and, especially if the trachea is irritated, to persistent coughing.

These problems can further aggravate the already existing symptoms, such as fatigue. In the course of the disease, the tumors often provoke the development of lung effusions. These are accumulations of fluid between the pleural leaves, which surround the lungs like a sack and play an important role in functional breathing. In the affected person, this becomes apparent in the form of difficult breathing and shortness of breath.

Symptoms on the neck

At the time of diagnosis, many patients already have considerably enlarged lymph nodes. In addition to their size and painlessness, these are conspicuous by the fact that they cannot be moved in their surroundings. Individual lymph nodes are often stuck together as if they were stuck together, which is called baked-on.

Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck cause few complaints to the affected person, especially because they are painless, which is why a doctor is often consulted late. Blood tests are essential for the diagnosis and monitoring of lymphoma. In addition to the current state of health of the affected person, parts of various organ functions can be examined in this way and assessed in the course of the disease.

This is of great importance because certain lymphomas are able to colonize and damage organs in addition to the lymphatic system. At the beginning of the lymphoma disease, the blood count is inconspicuous in the majority of patients. In the course of the disease, however, the number of red blood cells (erythrocytes), blood platelets (thrombocytes) and white blood cells (leukocytes) decreases.

The precursor cells of these blood components are located in the bone marrow, as are those of the lymphocytes, which when degenerated lead to the disease pattern of lymphoma. These cells are part of the immune system and can also be found in the bone marrow and blood of healthy people. In people who have lymphoma, however, lymphocytes are, as mentioned, degenerated so that they multiply unhindered in the bone marrow and displace the precursor cells of the other blood components over time.

This explains the numerical changes in the blood count of those affected as described above. A lack of red blood cells is called anemia. This manifests itself among other things by exhaustion, easy fatigue, skin pallor and breathlessness already with small straight load.

A lack of blood platelets is called thrombocytopenia. It manifests itself in small bleedings, especially in the area of the legs and the oral mucosa. The punctiform bleedings are called petechiae. A deficiency of white blood cells manifests itself in an increased susceptibility to infection.Another way to examine the blood to confirm the diagnosis of lymphoma and to determine the exact lymphoma type is to stain the lymphocytes with certain dyes. In these immunohistochemical examinations, certain surface portions of the lymphocytes are coupled to dyes and the different types are distinguished on the basis of the different stains.