Lymphoma (cont.)

Lymphoma Symptoms

Often, the first sign of lymphoma is a painless swelling in the neck, under an arm, or in the groin.

• Lymph nodes or tissues elsewhere in the body may also swell. The spleen, for example, often becomes enlarged in lymphoma.
  
  
• The enlarged lymph node sometimes causes other symptoms by pressing against a vein or lymphatic vessel (swelling of an arm or leg), a nerve (pain, numbness, or tingling), or the stomach (early feeling of fullness).
  
  
• Enlargement of the spleen may cause abdominal pain or discomfort.
  
  
• Many people have no other symptoms.

Symptoms of lymphoma may include the following:

• Fevers
  
  
• Chills
  
  
• Unexplained weight loss
  
  
• Night sweats
  
  
• Lack of energy
  
  
• Itching

These symptoms are nonspecific. This means that they could be caused by any number of conditions unrelated to cancer. For instance, they could be signs of the flu or other viral infection, but in those cases, they would not last very long. In lymphoma, the symptoms persist over time and cannot be explained by an infection or another disease.

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