What Are the Causes of Lymph Node Cancer?

At some point, most people have felt the glands in their neck and noticed those glands were swollen. Those glands are lymph nodes, and they can be swollen for many reasons.

Identification

• The lymph nodes are organs within the body that fight infection and disease. They allow for the passage of lymph fluid much in the same way the circulatory system transports blood and oxygen to different parts of the body. Lymph nodes use white blood cells to combat disease along with lymph fluid, and when the white blood cells begin to reproduce at an abnormal rate, that is when lymph node cancer develops. The problem with lymph node cancer is once it develops, it is easily transported to other parts of the body. Lymph node cancer is known more commonly by its other names: Hodgkin's disease and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. They are differentiated by the types of cells that make up the cancerous growths. Hodgkin's disease deals primarily in B-cells, while Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can be made up of B-cells or T-cells. The differences are based on genetic makeup of the condition and microscopic information gathered by a physician.

Features

• In many cases, lymph node cancer can be initially diagnosed by a swelling of the lymph nodes, a fever or chills, and a lack of energy. But these symptoms can also indicate other conditions such as a simple inflammation of the lymph nodes, which is not necessarily cancerous. While it is vital to get a doctor's diagnosis if you feel your lymph nodes are swollen, it is also important to remember swollen lymph nodes can indicate a plethora of other conditions besides cancer.

Potential

• As with many other forms of cancer, it only takes an agitation of cancerous cells within the lymph nodes to bring on lymph node cancer. Some very common conditions can bring on this sort of agitation, including a sore throat, the common cold and a sinus infection. But there are many more severe conditions that could directly lead to a formation of cancer in the lymph nodes, including AIDS, rubella, tuberculosis, or any number of infections, including a bacterial infection, a viral infection or any kind of upper-respiratory infection.

Considerations

• Because there is a large formation of lymph nodes in or near the neck, some conditions found in those areas can cause lymph node cancer. The list of conditions that affect the neck that could cause lymph node cancer include many other forms of cancer, including mouth cancer, larynx cancer and leukemia. It can be difficult to determine which cancer came first when it comes to these triggers of lymph node cancer.

Warning

• Some occupations can offer the possibility of triggering lymph node cancer, including any occupation that puts a person near pesticides or herbicides such as those used in farming and gardening. This includes working in a greenhouse that uses chemicals to prevent plants from being attacked by bugs. It has also been shown that using black hair dye on a regular basis can increase the chances of contracting lymph node cancer.