Lymphoma

Symptoms

• Fever
• Night sweats
• Fatigue
• Abdominal pain
• Unexplained weight loss
• Itchy skin

Diagnosis

• A lymph node biopsy (a small piece of tissue of a lymph node is removed and examined)
• A bone marrow biopsy (a sample of bone marrow is removed and examined)
• Multiple blood tests to detect the presence of abnormal cells
• X-rays to evaluate the chest, bones, liver and spleen
• A gallium scan
• A CT scan of your abdomen

Expected Duration

• Will continue to progress until it is treated

Prevention

• No definite way to prevent the cancer
• You may be able to lower your risk of lymphoma by taking precautions to avoid becoming infected with HIV
• It is not known whether avoiding certain chemicals will prevent lymphoma

Treatment

• Radiation is the traditional treatment for early stages of Hodgkin disease
• Chemotherapy, possibly with radiation, is used in later stages of the illness
• In Stage I or II, observation or chemotherapy is the usual treatment