Warning signs of lymphoma

Once again, September brings global awareness to lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system.

Our immune system is an unseen engine that is always idling, waiting to shift gears in the face of an infection. However, if the body’s immune transmission goes wrong, lymphoma may arise. Just like a car’s transmission, lymphoma has both low gears and high gears with over 60 different types arising from B or T-lymphocytes (B or T cells).

Often the first sign or symptom of lymphoma is enlargement of a lymph node or a group of lymph nodes denoting an overabundance of cancerous lymphocytes. Many lymph nodes are in locations that are not able to be felt or seen by you or a physician. In areas that can be felt — like in your neck or under your arm — they may enlarge in relation to a response to an underlying infection in that region of the body. However, as an infection resolves, so should the enlargement of the lymph node.

If you feel a lump that becomes noticeable for no reason or doesn’t regress after an infection has abated, this should raise attention to the possibility of lymphoma.

To schedule an appointment with a lymphoma specialist at Nebraska Medicine, call (800) 922-0000.