Should I be concerned about lymphoma?

My eight year old son has chronic swollen lymph nodes on his neck, and sometimes else where. They are only tender sometimes, and are not accompanied by any other symptoms, i.e they are not caused by the presence of a virus or infection. The doctor believed at one time they were infected and treated him with antibiotics. He complains of them on occasion, like once every two months or so..should I be concerned that lymphoma may be a possibility?

Should I be concerned about lymphoma?
You should talk your concerns over with your pediatrician. There is something going on with your son, but no one is trying to get to the bottom of it. Often pediatricians will look at kids and they are acting healthy and running around. They can misdiagnose an illness. As a parent you need to be persistent and make them listen to your concerns.





I do not know if your son has lymphoma. He probably doesn't , but no one knows because it has not been investigated. I can only tell you from my own experience with my son's cancer. He had been given a 'well' physical in December, and by March he had full blown, stage IV abdominal sarcoma (multiple tumors throughout the body). One of the first places the doctors looked at when he was admitted into the hospital was his lympth glands. He had swollen lymth nodes (lumps) in neck, armpits, and groin area. They took a biopsy of the lump in his neck. The cancer in his nect was secondary, it was not lymphoma . . he had desmoplastic small round blue cell tumor, which is an aggressive abdominal sarcoma that predominately strikes boys and young adults. The cancer had grown and spred in less than three months.





Do not delay. Have your child examined and do not stop until you have a definitive answer. His life may depend on it.
Reply:yes
Reply:I'd be concerned over any thing that's persistent.
Reply:ya-seems to be lymphoma, plz go for further tests in good hospital
Reply:The lymph system is the primary drainage for all infection. Lymph nodes are located all over our bodies. You and I both know the many viruses young children get, even when we are not aware of them. This sounds to me like your child's lymph system is just doing it's job. If you are uneasy about this I would definitely go to his pediatrician and get an opinion, but I myself have always had swollen lymph glands as long as I can remember. It comes and goes, whether I have a cold or not. I would call your doctor just for peace of mind.
Reply:What other places? You should get a second opinion. My mother suffered from this... only she would get itchy all over her body. She had swollen lymph nodes on her neck and near her underarms. Doctors told her it was an allergic reaction and she went on for about 8 months (her main symptom was itchiness for some reason) until she practically scratched her blood out.


We finally admitted her to a nearby hospital and she was diagnosed with lymphoma. I'm not trying to scare you or anything... just make sure he gets a firm answer. If the problem persists, it may be that there is a probelm that should be solved.


My mother went so long withough knowing what was wrong with her.. by the time she was diagnosed, the cancer spread all over her body and she passed away about a year and a half afterwards.


I hope everything works out with you.


Good Luck and God Bless you and yout family =)
Reply:i would definitely go back to the doctor and maybe even see a different doctor. the lymph system works to drain out infections of the body so the occasional sweeling of a lymph node is to be exspected but with what you're describing i doubt it's just because of the system doing it's job. try keeping a log of all the times he is swollen and where and also anytimes he is complaining (how long and how bad). these details can really help your doctor diagnose this problem.


good luck.
Reply:Lymph nodes tend to be enlarged often in children without apparent cause. If they go down and come up elsewhere, tender at times, they are probably just reaction to some infection, possibly viral. Just keep an eye on them for now.
Reply:I would get him tested to ease your mind and rule that out so you feel better. Swollen nodes can be from many causes from allergies, to infection, to virus, etc. Where else are the nodes besides his neck? Arm pits? collarbone/clavicle? groin? those are the main lymph nodes in the body, the arm pit nodes are the axilla, the collarbone are the clavicle, groin are inguinals. Does he have any limbs or any localized swellings? does he run any fever? Any sinus drip? does he have any known allergies or do any allergies run in the family? What illness or diseases run in your family?
Reply:I think you are right to be concerned. You need better answers. It may be nothing, but you need to know for sure.


This site has the best info:


http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls


I started out with a simple lump in my thoat. Again, there are many other reasons a lymph node could swell Check the site to see if your son has any other symptoms.


Best Wishes.
Reply:Lymphoma typically does not cause pain in nodes and would most likely not 'bother' your son. Has he had night sweats? low grade fever, weight loss, severe itching. These are secondary lymphoma symptoms. I would get it checked out, but doubt it is lymphoma if they are tender at times. Also, has your family had incidence of childhood cancer. if not it would be unlikely it is lymphoma.