Contents:
- Medical Video: 20 early warning signs that cancer is growing in your body
- What is lymph node cancer?
- Common symptoms of lymph node cancer
- Characteristics of non-Hodgkin lymph node cancer
- Characteristics of cancer of the Hodgkin lymph node
Medical Video: 20 early warning signs that cancer is growing in your body
Throughout your body there are lymph nodes. Normally, these glands cannot be palpated, but in certain parts of the body such as the neck, armpit, thighs, and under the chin, these glands can be felt less than 1 cm in size, painless, not enlarged and easily moved.
You should be aware if there are disturbances in the lymph nodes, because this can be a symptom of dangerous lymph cancer. Then, what are the characteristics of lymph node cancer that you easily recognize?
What is lymph node cancer?
Lymph cancer is a type of malignant cancer that attacks the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is an important part of the body's defense system which has an important task in forming a defense line to fight the presence of infection and cancer.
Just like various other types of cancer, the possibility of recovering from lymph cancer depends on the stage or stage of cancer experienced by the patient. The sooner you know and undergo treatment, the easier the healing process will be.
Common symptoms of lymph node cancer
Cancer of the lymph nodes or what is called malignant lymphoma will cause major complaints, namely lumps that do not feel painful, tend to enlarge, and settle. Usually other complaints will also arise such as shivering fever, decreased appetite and weight, often having infections that are difficult to heal, extreme fatigue, cough that does not heal, or others.
However, the characteristics of lymph cancer can also vary depending on the type, namely, lymph cancer called Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Both types of lymph cancer look similar, but actually they have different special characteristics.
Characteristics of non-Hodgkin lymph node cancer
Non-hodgkin lymph cancer can cause a variety of different signs and symptoms, depending on the location of the developing cancer. In some cases cancer may not cause any symptoms until the cancer develops large enough.
The common characteristics of non-Hodgkin lymph node cancers are:
- Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, or groin, which do not feel painful
- Pain or swelling in the stomach
- Feel full quickly even though you only eat a little
- Pain or feeling depressed in the chest
- Shortness of breath or cough
- Fever
- Decreased weight loss
- Sweating at night
- Extreme fatigue
- Less red blood cells (anemia)
If you see signs of lymph cancer like the one above, especially if you feel most of the time at the same time, you should immediately check with your doctor to determine what caused it.
Characteristics of cancer of the Hodgkin lymph node
Someone who has Hodgkin lymph cancer can feel very healthy. But usually you can see the signs when Hodgkin cancer develops in the body. Therefore, watch for any of the following symptoms of Hodgkin lymph cancer:
- Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, or groin, without feeling pain
- Fever and chills
- Continuous fatigue
- Weight loss is not clear why
- Broken eating loss
- Itchy
- Increased sensitivity to the effects of alcohol, or pain in the lymph nodes after drinking alcohol
Immediately visit a doctor that you trust if you have seen the characteristics of lymph node cancer as above to ascertain what is the cause of the complaint you are experiencing, so that it can be handled properly.
Medical examinations can be done by examining lymph node tissue through an excisional biopsy or incisional biopsy method. Blood tests also help, to find out the number of white blood cells. Even though the characteristics are obvious, a medical examination will help the doctor see the stage of the cancer that has lodged in your body.
If cancer is found still in the early stages of development, it is likely that you do not need to undergo a painful treatment or surgery. So, it's important for you to recognize the characteristics of lymph node cancer for early detection.
