Lymphoma is a relatively serious disease among childhood malignant tumors. It often develops in an insidious manner. Due to a lack of knowledge about the disease, its early symptoms and signs are often easily ignored or treated as other diseases.
Children’s lymphoma is mainly characterized by superficial lymphadenopathy and fever, but other symptoms may also occur.
Symptoms and characteristics of childhood lymphoma
1. Lymphadenopathy
Children’s lymphoma is mainly characterized by superficial lymphadenopathy. The most common sites of lymphadenopathy are the neck, followed by the armpits and groin. The early symptoms are similar to lymphadenitis.
The swollen lymph nodes are peristaltic, painless, hard, and can be moved. They are not adhered to each other in the early stage, but can fuse in the late stage. Antibiotic treatment is ineffective, and the lymph nodes are increasing day by day. Lymph nodes in other parts of the body are also swollen.
2. Fever
Children’s lymphoma patients often have irregular fever, which can be long-term low fever, or periodic fever, accompanied by hepatosplenomegaly, abdominal pain, etc.
Therefore, when children have unexplained lymphadenopathy or fever, and the lymphadenopathy lasts for a long time and is not tender, they should be examined and treated in time.
3. Lymphadenopathy causes compression symptoms
As the disease progresses, the cancer will compress other parts of the child’s body, such as compressing the esophagus, which can cause difficulty in swallowing, and compressing the trachea, which can cause coughing, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing.