How fast do lymphomas grow

Lymph nodes can swell for a variety of reasons and are considered to be enlarged if they are bigger than 1. Typically, lymph nodes that are enlarged due to lymphoma are much bigger and can grow to be the size of a grape or larger.

It is impossible to tell if a lymph node is cancerous by simply feeling it. Any persistent, concerning lumps should be examined by a medical professional. During this appointment, your doctor will conduct a comprehensive medical exam that includes physically inspecting accessible lymph nodes, as well as the size of organs that can be felt on a physical exam such as the spleen and liver. Following this examination, your doctor may want to perform a biopsy of a swollen lymph node.

This biopsy is the only way to conclusively determine if the lymph node is cancerous. Most swollen lymph nodes are not cancerous and are a result of a benign condition. While it is impossible to determine if a lymph node is cancerous without a biopsy, if you are experiencing the following symptoms, you should have the lump s examined by a licensed medical professional:.

Remember, this is not a complete list of symptoms, and some lymphoma patients might not have any symptoms at all. You know your body better than anyone, and if you notice something concerning, be sure to alert a medical professional. A swollen lymph node can appear seemingly overnight, but in reality, it may have been growing slowly and then became visible.

Next, read about lymphoma treatment. All Rights Reserved. The information available on this web site is provided for informational purposes only. This information is not intended to replace a medical consultation where a physician's judgment may advise you about specific disorders, conditions and or treatment options.

We hope the information will be useful for you to become more educated about your health care decisions. Fast-Growing Lymphomas Most cases of lymphomas develop in lymph nodes in the neck, chest, and abdomen, but the disease is also known to develop in the central nervous system and digestive tract.

Contact Lymphoma Specialists The doctors at the Cancer Center of Southern California are renowned for their expertise in medically advanced solutions through novel drug therapies, clinical trials and extensive experience.

Contact Us Notice: JavaScript is required for this content. Relapsed lymphoma and transformed lymphoma need different treatment so it is important for your medical team to know which you have. Transformed lymphoma can be difficult to treat but treatment options are improving all the time. Many people can be successfully treated. Your individual outlook varies greatly depending on your individual circumstances. Your medical team are best placed to advise you on your outlook.

If you choose to research survival statistics, be cautious. They are usually measured at least 5 or 10 years after treatment. This means that statistics only tell you how people did in the past. Those people might not have received the same treatment as you. The outlook for transformed lymphoma is much better now than it was before antibody therapies were available to treat lymphoma.

Back to top. There is no standard treatment for transformed lymphoma. Your medical team recommends the most appropriate treatment for you based on:. Stem cell transplants are intensive forms of treatment and are not suitable for everyone. Scientists are testing many different targeted treatments in clinical trials for lymphoma.

Although many of these trials are not open to people with transformed lymphoma, a few are. Some of the treatments that are being tested in people with transformed lymphoma include:. Some of these might be available to you through a clinical trial. Speak to your doctor if you are interested in taking part in a clinical trial. To find out more about clinical trials or to search for a trial that might be suitable for you, visit Lymphoma TrialsLink.

If you would like further information or would like to talk about any aspect of your lymphoma, please contact us. Our support groups offer a safe environment where people can help each other through the day to day issues of living with and beyond lymphoma.

What is transformation?