There are several types of blood tumors, and their symptoms are often slow to develop, so patients may not notice them. And some patients may not even have any symptoms at all.
However, the following clinical signs will help in the early detection of the most common blood tumors:
Leukemia
Blood cells are formed in the bone marrow, so this is also where leukemia occurs. Leukemia causes a state of uncontrolled production of white blood cells in the body, and such cells live longer than expected. However, unlike normal white blood cells, leukemia cells cannot help the body fight infection.
There are many different types of leukemia. Some progress rapidly (acute) and patients suddenly feel very ill, as if they have the flu, while other types of leukemia take several years to trigger clinical symptoms (chronic). Often, the initial sign for patients is an abnormal routine blood test result.
Most of the symptoms that occur in patients with leukemia are due to leukemia cells inhibiting the normal growth and function of healthy blood cells.
Anemia occurs when the patient’s body fails to produce enough red blood cells or when the patient’s body is unable to work properly with red blood cells.
Clinical manifestations of leukemia
- Lethargy;
- Shortness of breath;
- Dizziness;
- Pale skin;
- Chest pain;
- Clotting disorders, where platelets work to clot blood in wounds. When patients lack sufficient platelets in their bodies, even small wounds may bleed profusely, bleed heavily, or have frequent nosebleeds.
The following symptoms may also be associated:
- Abnormally heavy bruising;
- bleeding gums;
- broken capillaries forming subcutaneous bleeding spots;
- heavy menstrual bleeding;
- passing black stools or with red blood.
Other symptoms of leukemia
Patients become sick more often and take longer to recover because their white blood cells are abnormal and cannot fight infection, and they may also have frequent fevers and night sweats.
Leukemia cells can accumulate in the lymph nodes, tonsils, liver, and spleen, causing swelling of the associated tissues and organs. Patients may feel a lump in the neck or armpit, or feel fullness in the abdomen after eating just a small amount of food. Also, unexplained significant weight loss may occur. The growth of tumor cells in the bone marrow may also sometimes cause bone pain.
Lymphoma
The body’s lymphatic system contains infection-fighting white blood cells called lymphocytes. They are found throughout the body and help remove waste products from the body. Lymphoma can cause the body to lose control of its lymphocyte-producing state, and these abnormal lymphocytes are unable to fight off external infections.
Lymph node enlargement is the main symptom of lymphoma. Patients may have a lump in the neck, armpit, or groin. Swollen lymph nodes deeper in the body may compress adjacent organs, causing coughing, shortness of breath, or pain in the chest, abdomen, and bones. The patient’s spleen may become enlarged and cause a feeling of fullness in the abdomen. Enlarged lymph nodes are usually not painful, but can cause discomfort when the patient drinks alcohol.
Other common symptoms of lymphoma include:
- Fever;
- night sweats;
- feeling tired;
- unexplained weight loss;
- itching of the skin.
Multiple myeloma
Plasma cells are another type of infection-fighting cell in the blood. Multiple myeloma causes the patient’s bone marrow to produce plasma cells out of control and causes the body to fail to produce enough healthy blood cells. Multiple myeloma cells also release chemicals into the blood that can damage organs and tissues everywhere.
Some types of multiple myeloma progress more rapidly, but it usually takes time for the clinical symptoms to appear.
Bone pain
The most common symptom of multiple myeloma is severe, chronic pain, usually in the back or ribs. The tumor cells release a chemical that inhibits the normal growth and healing process of the bones, so the patient’s bones become weak and prone to breakage.
Vertebral injuries can compress the patient’s nerves, causing painful weakness in the legs, tingling in the arms, or incontinence.
Hypercalcemia
Multiple myeloma can lead to elevated levels of calcium in the blood. This can trigger:
- nausea and stomach pain;
- irritable thirst and polyuria;
- constipation;
- loss of appetite;
- weakness;
- confusion.
Excess calcium in the blood can also damage the kidneys. Proteins produced by certain tumor cells can also damage the kidneys. Patient-related signs include ankle edema, shortness of breath, and itchy skin.
Other common symptoms of multiple myeloma
Proteins released by tumor cells can damage the patient’s nerves, causing weakness, numbness, and pain in the arms and legs. Multiple myeloma cells may also crowd out healthy cells in the blood, leading to a lack of normal blood cells and making patients more susceptible to bleeding, anemia, and infection.