What are the signs and symptoms of follicular lymphoma?
Most of the time, patients are asymptomatic, and the lymphoma is discovered accidentally. If symptoms do appear, they may include constitutional symptoms such as fever, unintentional weight loss of more than 10% of their baseline weight in less than six months, and drenching night sweats, which usually affect the full body rather than just the upper body. The location of the lymphoma can also cause different symptoms; for example, it may cause unexplained cough, shortness of breath, or abdominal pain.
The most common sign that I see as a lymphoma doctor is enlarged lymph nodes because follicular lymphoma tends to be a disease of the lymph nodes. Other common symptoms include the so-called B symptoms, such as intense night sweats. Some patients may also have low blood counts, as follicular lymphoma often involves the blood, bone marrow, or spleen. This involvement can crowd out the normal blood and bone marrow functions, leading to symptoms such as an enlarged spleen or low blood counts.
Follicular lymphoma is often a slow-growing illness. Many patients are diagnosed incidentally when they undergo scans for unrelated reasons, like a kidney stone, and enlarged lymph nodes are discovered. Some patients may have had the lymphoma with no symptoms for years. This slow progression is one reason why many patients do not need treatment for many years.
HealthTree • October 10, 2024
