How to Diagnose Lymphoma

The first sign of lymphoma is often a painless swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, groin or belly. Sometimes people also have unexplained loss of weight, fevers and drenching sweats at night. They may also feel generally tired and unwell. Another symptom can be itching without an obvious cause.

Doctors and other health professionals who treat lymphoma

Your doctor will examine you and refer you for tests. This can be a worrying and tiring time, especially if you need to have several tests.

If the tests show you have or may have cancer, your doctor will refer you to a specialist, who will examine you and ask you to have some more tests. If you have cancer, one or more specialists will advise you about treatment options.

You should expect to be cared for by a team of health professionals from the relevant major fields (see following list). Ideally, all your tests and treatment should be available at your hospital. This may not be possible in some non-metropolitan areas.

Specialists and other health professionals who care for people with lymphoma include:

medical oncologists and haematologists, who are responsible for chemotherapy and coordinating the total treatment

radiation oncologists, who are responsible for radiotherapy

surgeons, who are responsible for biopsies and other surgical procedures

nurses, who will help you through all stages of your cancer

dietitians, who will recommend the best diets to follow while you are in treatment and recovery

social workers and occupational therapists, who will advise you on support services available and help you to get back to normal activities.

How lymphoma is diagnosed

The common tests for lymphoma are described in this chapter. You may not have all the tests. When the tests are done, your doctor or doctors will tell you what they have learned about your cancer, and suggest the best treatment for you.

Your doctor will begin by examining your body, especially the areas where there are lymph nodes. Your doctor will also discuss your medical history and ask about symptoms.

Tissue biopsy

If you have swollen lymph nodes that your doctor thinks may be cancerous, they will take some tissue from a swollen lymph node. This is called a tissue biopsy. The whole node may be removed or only a part of the node. This tissue will be sent to a pathology laboratory to be examined in detail to see if it has cancer cells in it.

You could have either a general or a local anaesthetic when you have your biopsy. This will depend on where the lymph node is that the doctor wishes to biopsy. If the biopsy shows that you have lymphoma, other tests will be done to find out whether the cancer has spread, and if so, to where. This is called ‘staging' the cancer.

Blood tests

Your doctor may take some blood from your arm using a needle and syringe. This will be sent to a pathology laboratory to be examined. These tests will also tell the doctors how well your other organs such as liver and kidneys are working.