Lymph Node Cancer - Causes, Therapy and Symptoms

Hodgkin's Disease - Symptoms and Treatment

The British physician Thomas Hodgkin (1798 - 1866) was the first to describe tumors in the lymphatic system, which according to him are called Hodgkin's disease. Often the symptoms are referred to as lymph node cancer.

contents

• Hodgkin's Disease - Symptoms and Treatment
• The lymphatic system
• Causes of Hodgkin's disease
• symptoms
• Recognize Hodgkin's disease early
• Patients report
• prevention?
• diagnosis
• therapy

The lymphatic system

Lymph nodes, spleen, tonsils and the lymphatic tissue in the intestine form the lymphatic system. The organism needs this system to fight pathogens. The lymphatic system forms its own cells, the so-called lymphocytes.

Hodgkin's disease is a malignant tumor of the lymphatic system (malignant lymphoma). (Image: magele-picture / fotolia.com)

The lymphatic vessels pass through the body and transport fluid into the blood. The lymph nodes act as filters to keep bacteria, viruses and tumor cells away from vital organs. Most of them are first affected by Hodgkin's disease. Later, the cancer also spreads to the spleen and ultimately from organs that are not part of the lymphatic system.

Causes of Hodgkin's disease

Although Hodgkin recognized the disease, it was only recently that scientists discovered that the tumors originated from degenerate B lymphocytes. The Epstein-Barr-Viurs, which causes the Pfeiffer's glandular fever, also seems to play a role. Three out of every 100,000 people get "lymph node cancer", about as many men as women.

The exact causes are still in the dark. 60% of the tumors are located in the neck area, 30% in the thorax, 20% in the armpit, 15% in the groin and 15% in the abdomen. Often, tumors occur in different parts of the body at the same time.

symptoms

Tumors in the lymph nodes in the chest cause extreme coughing. The cancer is located in lymph nodes in the abdomen, it shows the non-specific symptoms such as pain, pressure or diarrhea. A unique feature of Hodgkin's disease is the alcohol pain: The tumor-haunted lymph nodes hurt when those affected drink alcohol.

Frequently accompanying symptoms such as fever, night sweats and a general feeling of weakness occur. (Image: underdogstudios / fotolia.com)

Not always, but about every third patient has the following symptoms:

• Recurrent fever that lasts for a long time and is highest in the late afternoon
• Strong weight loss without obvious cause
• General feeling of weakness
• itching
• night sweats

Except for alcohol pain, none of these symptoms occur exclusively in Hodgkin's disease. On the contrary, these nonspecific symptoms can not only indicate a variety of cancers, but also other serious and harmless causes - from allergies (itching) to depression (feeling weak) to intestinal inflammation (weight loss). You should therefore go to the doctor to clarify the symptoms. Whether it is a lymphocarcinoma, can only be determined by laboratory analysis of the lymph nodes.

Do not take these symptoms lightly because they are cancerous and even this form of cancer is almost always fatal if left untreated. Conversely, Hodgkin's disease is one of the most curable tumors - as long as it is detected early. If the tumors have only formed on individual lymph nodes, there is a great chance that no further cancerous focus will arise if the affected areas are operated out.

Recognize Hodgkin's disease early

With every cancer, the sooner doctors recognize him, the greater the chance of healing him. Like other malignant tumors, however, Hodgkin's disease is difficult to detect at an early stage because the affected lymph nodes swell, but usually do not cause any pain.

In addition, the lymph nodes swell in other diseases, especially in viral infections. An indication is the duration of the symptoms. If they last longer than two weeks, it's unusual for a virus. So go to the doctor and ask if it could be tumors on the lymph.

If lymph node swelling persists for longer than two weeks, a doctor should always be consulted to clarify the symptoms. (Image: SENTELLO / fotolia.com)

Patients report

The organization of Hodgkin's disease patients presents several reports of those affected. A 20-year-old patient describes his early symptoms: "During a vacation in Spain, in 1987, I had a severe stomach and intestinal infection and lost a lot of weight. In addition to this infection, when I got home, there was night sweating and chest pain. The weight loss meanwhile was 15 kg. "

In retrospect, there was much evidence of lymphoma, but the disease was still in the dark. The symptoms worsened: "In early 1988, after no improvement in my state of health, I went to a doctor who used X-rays to detect multiple lumps between the lungs. Febrile seizures (39 °) and loss of appetite joined my already bad condition even more. "

The patient now suspected that it was cancer. Then he was reassured: "A hospital stay that lasted four weeks should bring a definitive diagnosis, which was then: Hodgkin's disease IVb. It was no surprise to me, because inside I expected lung cancer. The death of my friend, who had died of leukemia, was an incentive for me to overcome the disease. "

The affected person was already suffering from the advanced stage of the disease, so he underwent intensified chemotherapy followed by radiation, which lasted a full year. The disease seemed once defeated. However, in November 1990, the patient felt severe leg and hip pain, and two months later the diagnosis came again: Hodgkin's disease. Despite five months of chemotherapy, he soon had malignant lumps in his throat again.

Chemotherapy uses special substances (cytostatics) that inhibit the proliferation of cancer cells. (Image: auremar / fotolia.com)

Now the doctors did a bone marrow transplant and took 1.5 liters of bone marrow. Chemotherapy killed all the malignant cells in the body, it also destroyed the bone marrow. This was soon replaced by the doctors with the extracted cells. The patient does not report on the further course.

A 32-year-old woman complained of chest pain. An X-ray showed a tumor, and the analysis revealed Hodgkin's disease. Despite cancer, chemo- and radiotherapy she decided to have children. 2.5 years after starting therapy, she got a healthy son and 20 months later a daughter. Then followed two girls - twins. At the time of the report, the patient was a single mother, worked full time, and had no tumors in her body.

prevention?

There are no specific ways to prevent lymph node cancer, as in lung cancer, where the first rule is: stop smoking.
In general, you can look out for the symptoms and have regular check-ups with the doctor.

If the lymph nodes are enlarged and the doctor does not detect any infection, X-rays of the lungs, chest, paranasal sinuses, and pharynx, spleen, and tonsils are taken. In any case, go to the doctor early: Because lymph node cancer is detected early, the total cure rate is 70% to 90%.

diagnosis

If you have symptoms, consult a doctor, your family doctor, or better, an oncologist. For example, he judges her weight loss. If you lose more than ten percent of your body weight in six months, that's an indication, just as lymph nodes on your neck, armpits or groin are swollen. In addition, the swollen areas of pain after alcohol consumption, a lymph node cancer is likely.

Pain in swollen lymph nodes after drinking alcohol may be an indication of lymph node cancer. (Image: Rawpixel.com/fotolia.com)

A blood test gives first certainty. Cancer cells displace the healthy cells and alter the blood picture. Imaging techniques show how far the cancer has progressed. Final clarity gives an analysis of the infested lymph nodes. In any case, the doctor removes the swollen lymph nodes. This is the only way to make a reliable diagnosis.

therapy

Once the stage of cancer has been detected, chemotherapy starts. Radiation therapy is also possible. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)
Specialist supervision: Barbara Schindewolf-Lensch (doctor)