Lymphoma And Back Pain

Lymphoma and back pain can be linked, as when signs and symptoms of lymphoma are discussed, they are almost universally introduced as 'non-specific' signs and symptoms. This simply means that the symptoms do not directly point to lymphoma, but that they could mean many other things or nothing much at all (this is a determination best trusted with your doctor to make). The most frequently listed symptoms include:

-- Painless, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, groin or armpit
-- Unexplained fevers
-- Unexplained weight loss
-- Appetite loss
-- Night sweats

You will see these listed at any reliable lymphoma-related web site. However, there is one non-specific symptom that is rarely mentioned at organizational sites, but is very commonly mentioned by patients or their caregivers: back pain.

Perhaps lymphoma and back pain as a potential symptom is often omitted or overlooked by web sites because it is SO common—back pain is routinely among the top two or three reasons for people visiting hospital emergency rooms every year, and back pain can be caused by so many different things.

Well, lymphoma is indeed one of those possible reasons for back pain, and there are a couple of reasons why lymphoma and back pain are linked:

-- In our abdominal region, we have a couple of large clusters of lymph nodes. We can't feel them with our hands the way we can feel ones in our neck or groin, but they can become swollen from lymphoma like any other set of nodes, and when they do, they can put pressure on the muscles, nerves, and other tissue complimenting the lower back, resulting in lymphoma and back pain.

-- In the same area, we have a couple of organs that are known to be involved in lymphomas from time to time, and they are the liver and the spleen. Sometimes, lymphomas present themselves as 'bulky' masses on these organs, and depending on where precisely, they can put pressure on the surrounding tissue and lead to lymphoma and back pain.

This is by no means a reason to believe that some everyday back discomfort is a sure sign of lymphoma, absolutely not. But lymphoma and back pain should be included more often as one of the many non-specific symptoms known to precede a lymphoma diagnosis.