What are the symptoms of small cell lymphoma?
The symptoms that occur with small cell lymphoma vary with the organ system that is affected. Since the lymphocytes are present in virtually all the body’s organs, the cancer can strike anywhere. The most common form of this cancer affects the gastrointestinal tract. When this occurs the following signs are present: * Lack of appetite * Weight Loss * Vomiting * Diarrhea How do we make the diagnosis of Small Cell Lymphoma? There are many other diseases that present with similar symptoms so we must run a battery of tests to diagnose this disease. These tests generally include: * Blood Tests * Urine tests * Radiographs of the chest and belly * Ultrasound of the abdomen These tests will help us rule out other causes of the disease. Ultimately, we must obtain biopsies of the affected organs to make a definitive diagnosis of this disease. This generally requires exploratory surgery during which the entire abdomen can be inspected and multiple tissue samples can be obtained for laboratory ana
