What are the diagnostic methods for lymphoma

Cancer is a chronic depleting disease that poses a great threat to the patient's life safety. Many patients become very fearful and sensitive after learning that they have cancer, which accelerates their death. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that can cause systemic symptoms in patients. Here I will introduce the diagnostic measures for lymphoma.

1. Ask about the patient's medical history in detail, including the first symptom, the time of onset of lymph node enlargement and the subsequent rate of enlargement, and whether there are systemic symptoms, such as fever, night sweats, itchy skin, weight loss, etc. For non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, ask about the presence of gastrointestinal symptoms.

2. Physical signs

(1) Check whether the superficial lymph nodes in the whole body are swollen, whether the skin and appendages are invaded, and whether the pharyngeal lymph ring, breast, testicles, etc. are invaded.

(2) Other venous or lymphatic obstruction, tracheal compression, superior vena cava syndrome, etc.

3. Cytodiagnosis and tissue biopsy

The exact diagnosis of malignant lymphoma is obtained by the pathologist using a microscope to observe tissue specimens taken from the lesion site. For this purpose, when the lymphoma is located in the skin, the skin is cut open and the local lymph nodes are removed; when the lymphoma is located in the gastrointestinal tract, a fiber endoscope is used to observe the relevant conditions of the tumor and to perform a biopsy of part of the tumor tissue to confirm the diagnosis.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can be further divided into 10 stages from low-grade malignancy to high-grade malignancy. There are two types of classification: the international classification and the Japanese LSG classification. The monoclonal antibody test can also divide it into two types: T-cell type and B-cell type.

4. Full body examination

Once the pathological diagnosis of malignant lymphoma is confirmed, a full-body examination is required to understand the spread of the lesion. The lymph nodes on the surface of the body can be measured by palpation, and the retroperitoneal lymph nodes can be identified through CT and abdominal ultrasound. CT and B-ultrasound examinations can also identify abnormalities in abdominal organs such as the liver and spleen.

Radioactive isotope Y-ray scanning can detect potential swollen lymph nodes in the body. Lymphoma cells can circulate throughout the body with the blood, so a bone marrow puncture is necessary to determine whether there is metastasis within the bone marrow. In addition, cases of infiltration of the Waldeyer ring should be examined and diagnosed by the otolaryngology department, and a gastric X-ray should be performed. When swollen lymph nodes are found in the digestive tract, the entire digestive tract should be examined from the stomach to the large intestine, or an X-ray or fiber endoscopy should be performed. When lesions are found in organs such as the lungs, liver, eyes, brain, and testicles, relevant examinations should be performed while consulting with specialists for the relevant organs.

5. Laboratory examination

In daily life, go for regular physical examinations and always pay attention to whether your body has any signs of brain cancer. If there are some reactions, you need to find out what is causing the discomfort. To confirm whether it is brain cancer, you need to go to the hospital for specific examinations, check your blood test indicators, CEA, CA125, and do MRI and other examinations to confirm the diagnosis.

The diagnosis of malignant lymphoma includes two aspects: one is to confirm the type of lymphoma, that is, to confirm the diagnosis; the other is to determine the site and range of the lesion, that is, the clinical staging. Other examinations include blood and urine routine tests, liver and kidney function tests, blood biochemical tests, X-ray examinations, B-ultrasound examinations, CT examinations, MRI examinations, lower limb lymph node angiography, 67Ga scanning and other examinations.

If it is confirmed that it is lymphoma, first of all, don't panic. You must judge how to treat it based on the specific situation and seek comprehensive consultation.

As can be seen from the above, the diagnosis of lymphoma is the same as other diseases. We must first ask the patient's medical history, observe the patient's symptoms, and if necessary, let the patient do some relevant examinations. Early cancer has no obvious symptoms, which requires experienced doctors to look for clues in the patient's clinical manifestations. Once lymphoma is diagnosed, it must be treated in time.