"Lymphoma is not just a lump you feel in your neck or under your arm, which is what many people think," says Lorna Warwick, executive director of Ontario region, Lymphoma Society of Canada, citing what may be the most common misconception about this disease. With lymphoma, continues Warwick, you may have cancer cells show up in your blood or bone marrow, but not experience any telltale lumps at all.
September 15 is World Lymphoma Awareness Day, and a good opportunity to learn about lymphoma and find out how to protect yourself and your family. Here are 10 facts about lymphoma.
1. Lymph nodes are like filters
"Lymph nodes act as filters in your lymphatic system," says Alyssa Burkus Rolf, Lymphoma Foundation Canada Board president. "They work by cleaning out bacteria, viruses and other foreign substances. We tell people a normal, healthy lymph node is about the size of a jellybean."
Lymph nodes -- sometimes incorrectly called lymph glands -- work as a part of your body's defense against infection and cancer. They enlarge and become tender when fighting infection, as you'll know if you've ever battled strep throat. While you can often feel the lymph nodes in your armpits, neck and groin, there are lymph nodes throughout your body.
2. Lymphoma is cancer of the lymphatic system
"Lymphoma is a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system," says Burkus Rolf. Lymphoma includes a group of cancers originating in the lymphatic system; the two most common types of lymphoma are Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (which covers 30 different types).
3. Everyone is at risk
Nearly 7,680 Canadians will be diagnosed with lymphoma this year, making it one of the five most common cancers in the country. It's also the third most common childhood cancer. Lymphoma can affect anyone, at any age in any demographic.
4. There are several symptoms of lymphoma
Sign of lymphoma include:
- Low energy
- Night sweats
- Headaches
- Loss of appetite
- Itchy skin
- Unexplained weight loss
- Persistent cough
- Breathlessness
- An unusual lump that doesn't go away (often the lump isn't painful)
Because the symptoms of lymphoma mimic many other, less serious diseases, it can be easy to discount the signs as a simple flu. If symptoms go on longer than they should, see your doctor.
"Part of the challenge, in recognizing the warning signs of lymphoma, is that lymphoma can happen in so many different places, people don't immediately identify lymphoma as a possibility," says Burkus Rolf. Discovering a lump in your breast will often immediately prompt a trip to the doctor for a breast cancer check, but lymphoma lacks that single, easily identifiable clue.
"We've talked to many patients who have lead very healthy lives and had nothing wrong with them before being diagnosed with lymphoma," says Warwick. "If you start to feel like there's something wrong with you, go to your doctor and push it. It's very easy, when you're tired and have a fever, to think it's a virus; but trust your body and your own instincts if this persists."
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