Fever, weight loss, night sweats - be careful, it may be lymphoma

What is lymphoma? What are the hazards of lymphoma? Relevant experts said: Lymphatic tissue is distributed throughout the body, so lymphatic tumors can occur in any part of the human body. It is not necessary to check for lymphoma only when you feel a lump in the neck, clavicle, etc. In fact, lymphatic tumors have systemic manifestations, which are clinically called B symptoms, mainly fever, weight loss, night sweats, etc.

Experts point out that these B symptoms have different manifestations in lymphoma patients. For example, the fever of lymphoma patients is usually around 38 degrees, and often occurs in the afternoon or afternoon every day. Unlike ordinary fevers, which will continue to burn, the patient's body temperature may automatically return to normal after drinking some hot water.

Weight loss in lymphoma patients mainly refers to a rapid drop in weight in a short period of time, generally a 10% drop in original weight within six months; some patients may also experience skin itching, focal pain and itching often occur in the area drained by the diseased lymph nodes, and systemic pain and itching mostly occur in cases with lesions in the mediastinum or abdomen. These symptoms are not specific.

Experts particularly emphasize that if the lump on the neck is painless, continues to grow, and is inactive, especially if the lump is found to be of equal size by B-ultrasound examination, such as 2.8*2.8 cm, 3.0*3.0 cm, then the enlarged lymph nodes are relatively high-risk. On the contrary, if the lump is oval, active and painful when touched, it may be a benign hyperplasia or chronic inflammation of the enlarged lymph nodes.

Disease incidence: more and more young people

In the past, the specific reasons for the increase in young patients were unknown, but frequent exposure to chemical substances is related to an increased risk of lymphoma, especially organic compounds, such as organophosphorus pesticides, herbicides, insecticides, paints, chemical solvents, etc. At the same time, the immune system of young people is in the process of development and needs to constantly adapt to changes in the outside world. If they are in a state of mental and physical fatigue and stress, their immune function will be greatly reduced. At the same time, excessive fatigue will also lead to physical overdraft. Due to some compensatory mechanism, the lymphatic system needs to automatically adjust and supplement, resulting in unlimited proliferation of lymphatic tissue and increased risk of cancer.

Expert tips: The lymphatic system is an important defense system of the human body that can produce white blood cells and antibodies. It usually recovers at night when the human body sleeps. Therefore, young people should not stay up late for a long time. They should ensure about 8 hours of sleep and should not be overly stressful during work hours.

Treatment and initial diagnosis determine the later efficacy, so be cautious

"A good pathologist may be ruined by lymphoma" is a saying that has been circulating in the pathology community to describe the complexity of lymphoma pathological diagnosis. There are more than 70 known pathological types of lymphoma. Even for the same pathological type, different patients have different stages, sites of disease, prognostic factors, physical conditions and symptoms, ages, etc., which means that the pathological diagnosis, treatment principles, plans and courses of lymphoma may vary greatly.

It should be emphasized that the first treatment is critical. Under the premise of a clear pathological diagnosis, the first standardized treatment with sufficient dose and duration can achieve a fatal effect. Generally speaking, the first course of treatment should be completed for 6-8 cycles. Stopping treatment midway is likely to lead to tumor resistance, and the effect of subsequent treatment is not good.

Lymphomas that grow in different parts of the body have completely different treatment methods and effects. Lymphomas that usually occur in lymph nodes have the best treatment effects and the greatest hope of cure. Lymphomas that occur in the central nervous system, testicles, breasts, etc. are not well-responsive to existing treatments, are prone to recurrence, and invade the central nervous system and bone marrow, increasing the difficulty of treatment. Therefore, once extranodal lymphoma is diagnosed, patients should go to a specialist hospital as soon as possible to receive standardized, individualized diagnosis and treatment.