When to Seek Medical Care

Swelling in the neck, armpit, or groin, or unexplained swelling in an arm or leg should prompt one to seek medical attention. Such swellings may have many causes or have nothing to do with lymphoma, but they should be checked.

If any of the following symptoms persist for more than a few days, seek medical attention:

• Fevers
• Chills
• Unexplained weight loss
• Night sweats
• Lack of energy
• Itching

Follow-up

After completion of primary therapy for lymphoma, all appropriate tests will be repeated to see how well the therapy worked.

• The results of these tests will tell the oncologist whether the patient is in remission.
• If the patient is in remission, the oncologist will recommend a schedule of regular testing and follow-up visits to monitor the remission and to catch any recurrence early.
• Keeping up with these visits and tests is very important in order to avoid advanced or widespread disease.

If lymphoma recurs after treatment, the oncologist will likely recommend further treatment.

Prevention

There is no known way to prevent lymphoma. A standard recommendation is to avoid the known risk factors for the disease. However, some risk factors for lymphoma are unknown, and therefore impossible to avoid. Infection with viruses such as HIV, EBV, and hepatitis are risk factors that can be avoided with frequent hand washing, practicing safe sex, and by not sharing needles, razors, toothbrushes, and similar personal items that might be contaminated with infected blood or secretions.