Signs and Symptoms of Non-Hodgkin
Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
(NHL) can cause many different signs and symptoms, depending on the type of
lymphoma and where it is in the body. Sometimes it might not cause any symptoms
until it grows quite large.
Having one or more symptoms
doesn’t mean you definitely have lymphoma. In fact, many of the symptoms listed
here are more likely to be caused by other conditions, such as an infection.
Still, if you have any of these symptoms, have them checked by a doctor so that
the cause can be found and treated, if needed.
Some common signs and
symptoms include:
- Enlarged
lymph nodes
- Chills
- Weight
loss
- Fatigue
(feeling very tired)
- Swollen
abdomen (belly)
- Feeling
full after only a small amount of food
- Chest
pain or pressure
- Shortness
of breath or cough
- Severe
or frequent infections
- Easy
bruising or bleeding
Some people with
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma have what are known as B symptoms:
- Fever
(which can come and go over several days or weeks) without an infection
- Drenching
night sweats
- Weight
loss without trying (at least 10% of body weight over 6 months)
Positron emission
tomography (PET) scan
For a PET scan, you
are injected with a slightly radioactive form of sugar, which collects mainly
in cancer cells. A special camera is then used to create a picture of areas of
radioactivity in the body. The picture is not detailed like a CT or MRI scan,
but it can provide helpful information about your whole body.
If you have lymphoma, a PET scan might be done to:
- See
if an enlarged lymph node contains lymphoma.
- Find
small areas that might be lymphoma, even if the area looks normal on a CT
scan.
- Check
if a lymphoma is responding to treatment. Some doctors will repeat the PET
scan after 1 or 2 courses of chemotherapy. If the chemotherapy is working,
the lymph nodes will no longer absorb the radioactive sugar.
- Help
decide whether an enlarged lymph node still contains lymphoma or is just
scar tissue after treatment.
It's good to know what a PET scan does. I hope the results come soon and are good news. Maybe your recent vaccination does have some connection with your symptoms.
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