Lymph Gland Cancer Symptoms

and Martina Feichter, medical editor and biologist Updated on

Dr. med. Julia Schwarz is a freelance writer in the medical department.

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Martina Feichter studied biology with an elective subject pharmacy in Innsbruck and also immersed herself in the world of medicinal plants. From there it was not far to other medical topics that still captivate her to this day. She trained as a journalist at the Axel Springer Academy in Hamburg and has been working for since 2007 - first as an editor and since 2012 as a freelance writer.

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Symptoms of lymph gland cancer depend on the stage and type of lymphoma. A painless swelling of the lymph nodes, for example on the neck, is typical. In addition, there are often the so-called B symptoms. This is a combination of fever, unwanted weight loss and night sweats. There are also other possible signs of malignant lymphoma. Read everything you need to know about lymph gland cancer symptoms here.

ICD codes for this disease: ICD codes are internationally recognized codes for medical diagnoses. They can be found, for example, in doctor's letters or on certificates of incapacity for work. C84C85C82C81C83

Lymphatic Cancer Symptoms: Overview

Basically, the two main forms of lymph gland cancer - Hodgkin's lymphoma (HOdgkin's disease) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) - show very similar symptoms. The type and extent of the symptoms vary depending on the stage of the disease: in the early stages, the signs of lymph gland cancer are usually only discreet and rather unspecific. In the further course, symptoms of lymph gland cancer appear depending on the organ or tissue infestation.

Overview of lymphatic cancer symptoms

Early stage	Persistent, mostly painless swelling of the lymph nodes
	General symptoms such as weakness, tiredness, poor performance and the so-called B symptoms (= fever, night sweats and weight loss)
Advanced stage	Infestation of the bone marrow with resulting anemia (recognizable by pale skin, for example), tendency to infection and bleeding
	further symptoms depending on the organ / tissue involvement, e.g. cough and breathing difficulties, abdominal pain and digestive problems, bone and joint pain

Initially, the painless swelling of one or more lymph nodes is usually the only symptom of lymph gland cancer. Typically, the swelling lasts for a long time (several weeks).

Other possible signs of lymph gland cancer in the early stages of the disease are general symptoms such as tiredness, fatigue and poor performance. In addition, many patients with lymph gland cancer show the three symptoms fever, heavy night sweats and unwanted weight loss - collectively referred to as B symptoms.

As the disease progresses, there are additional signs of lymph gland cancer - depending on the organs or tissues in which the lymphoma cells spread. Examples are bone and joint pain when the skeleton is affected, as well as anemia, susceptibility to infection and bleeding tendency when the bone marrow is affected.

Lymph Gland Cancer Symptoms: Swelling of the lymph nodes

A very common sign of lymph gland cancer is persistently enlarged lymph nodes, which are usually not painful. For example, the lymph nodes in the neck, armpit and / or groin can be affected. Swelling of lymph nodes that cannot be seen or felt from the outside is also possible. In some lymphoma patients, for example, the lymph nodes behind the breastbone are swollen. If you press on the windpipe, it can lead to a dry cough and shortness of breath.

Swollen lymph nodes are not a specific sign of lymph gland cancer, but also occur in many infectious diseases. However, they are then usually sensitive to pressure and regress again as the infection subsides.

Alcohol pain

Some patients with Hodgkin's disease experience pain in cancerous lymph node regions a few minutes after drinking alcohol. The complaints can last for hours and are caused by even the smallest amounts of alcohol. The cause of this so-called alcohol pain is unknown.

Alcohol pain is not one of the common lymph gland cancer symptoms, on the contrary it is very rare: It only occurs in Hodgkin lymphoma and only in less than one percent of patients. But this symptom is very characteristic of Hodgkin's disease!

Involvement of other lymphatic tissues

Other lymphatic tissues (e.g. tonsils, spleen) can be painlessly enlarged in lymph gland cancer - either in addition to or instead of the lymph nodes. This can especially be the case with some non-Hodgkin lymphomas: there are forms that originate primarily from internal organs (such as the lymphatic tissue of the gastric mucosa in MALT lymphoma) or from the skin (cutaneous T-cell lymphoma) .

Usually, however, the lymph nodes are the starting point for non-Hodgkin lymphomas and also Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Lymphatic Cancer: General Symptoms and B Symptoms

Often times, lymphatic cancer also causes symptoms of a general nature. These include, for example, exhaustion, tiredness, weakness and reduced performance. However, such complaints can also have harmless causes (such as stress and lack of sleep) or occur with many other diseases (e.g. hypothyroidism).

Another unspecific sign of lymphatic cancer is itching on the body in some patients.

B symptoms

Common lymph gland cancer symptoms are the so-called B symptoms:

• Fever (> 38.5 ° C with no signs of infection)
• heavy night sweats
• unwanted and unexplained weight loss of more than ten percent of body weight

The B symptoms are a classic combination of symptoms that occur in severe consuming diseases. In addition to lymph gland cancer, this also includes other cancers, tuberculosis and HIV infection (or AIDS).

Lymph gland cancer symptoms: anemia, tendency to infections and bleeding

The bone marrow plays a central role in blood formation. If lymph gland cancer cells spread uncontrollably here, they displace the healthy blood cells - various functional disorders threaten:

1. Anemia - caused by a lack of red blood cells (erythrocytes). These blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen in the blood. If their number is too low, anemia develops with symptoms such as paleness, tiredness and weakness.
2. Susceptibility to infection - due to a lack of white blood cells (leukocytes). These blood cells are an important part of the immune system. If sufficient healthy leukocytes can no longer be produced as a result of lymphatic cancer, the body becomes susceptible to infections (e.g. from fungi, bacteria or viruses).
3. Bleeding tendency - caused by a lack of blood platelets (thrombocytes). These blood cells are necessary for blood to clot. If too few of them circulate in the blood, bleeding (such as nosebleeds) occurs more quickly. Affected patients also get "bruises" (hematomas) noticeably easily.

Lymph gland cancer symptoms when other organs / tissues are affected

Lymph gland cancer can cause additional symptoms as the disease progresses. This is because individual cancer cells can spread through the body via the bloodstream. Depending on the affected organs / tissues, further lymph gland cancer symptoms then result.

Liver and / or spleen involvement

When cancer cells affect the liver or spleen, that organ enlarges. This can disrupt digestion and cause, for example, a feeling of fullness and nausea.

An enlarged liver (hepatomegaly) can be felt under the right costal arch in many affected patients. A massive infestation can impair the liver function so that it can no longer perform its numerous metabolic tasks properly.

An enlargement of the spleen (splenomegaly) can be felt under the left costal arch. The swelling of the organ can lead to pain in the upper abdomen.

Involvement of the lungs

Lung metastases from lymph gland cancer usually have few symptoms for a long time. In the advanced stage, symptoms can occur depending on the affected region. Those affected often complain of a persistent and therapy-resistant cough. Some patients also experience pain and shortness of breath.

Involvement of the nervous system

Neurological symptoms of lymph gland cancer are also possible in advanced stages. Depending on which part of the brain is affected by the cancer, the symptoms differ. Speech and vision disorders such as "double vision" are common. In addition, the patient's personality can also change.

Infestation of the bones

Bone damage is also a symptom of lymph gland cancer that can occur at an advanced stage. The bone dissolves in the areas affected by cancer cells (osteolysis) and thus loses stability - the risk of bone fractures increases. Such fractures can also occur spontaneously. During osteolysis, where the calcium concentration increases.

The so-called "shotgun skull" is typical of multiple myeloma (plasmacytoma) - a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma: the cancer "eats" many small holes in the skull bones, which in the X-ray look as if the patient were with one Shotgun shot at.

More lymph gland cancer symptoms

In the advanced stages of the disease, a large tumor can cause other symptoms - for example when it presses on neighboring structures. If, for example, he blocks the lymph drainage in the pelvis or in the groin, lymphedema can form on the leg. If a lymphoma blocks the bile ducts inside or outside the liver, jaundice (jaundice) develops. n presses. If the cancer exerts great pressure on the intestine, loss of appetite and vomiting can result.

Recognize lymph gland cancer symptoms

Lymph gland cancer has few symptoms at the beginning. It is therefore usually difficult to recognize the disease in its early stages and differentiate it from other diseases. If one or more lymph nodes are persistently swollen (over several weeks), you should consult a doctor as a precaution - especially if you still have "B-symptoms" (fever of unknown cause, night sweats, unexplained weight loss).

Remember, however, that the lymph gland cancer symptoms described above do not only occur with this malignant disease, but can also have many other more or less harmless causes. For a reliable diagnosis, potentially affected tissue (such as lymph nodes) must always be removed and examined in the laboratory.

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