Swollen lymph nodes
Painless lumps in the neck, underarm or groin that persist or grow over time.
Cancers We Treat
Lymph node cancers — primary
Lymph node cancers — primary
or spread — are treatable.
Cancer in the lymph nodes is either a lymphoma — a primary cancer of the lymphatic system — or metastatic disease that has spread from elsewhere. Lymphomas are the third most common cancer among young adults and children in Singapore, and radiotherapy retains an enduring, evidence-based role in their cure.
3rdMost common cancer in young Singaporeans
2Main types: Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's
ISRTModern involved-site radiotherapy limits dose
Image · placeholderAn AARO care team member — support through every step of lymphoma treatment.
Image · placeholderAnatomy illustration — the lymphatic system: nodes, spleen and thymus
Lymphomas · What is it
Primary lymphoma, or cancer that travelled.
Cancer cells can break away from a primary tumour and travel through the lymphatic system, settling in lymph nodes — usually those nearest the original tumour. This is metastatic (secondary) lymph node cancer, and its treatment follows from the primary cancer's type.
Lymphomas are different: primary cancers of the lymphatic system itself, beginning when white blood cells (lymphocytes) develop mutations that let them multiply uncontrollably and escape normal cell death. Beyond the nodes, lymphoma can involve the thymus, spleen, bone marrow and other organs.
The two main families are Hodgkin's lymphoma — more common in young adults aged 15 to 30 — and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is more common overall and in older people, including diffuse large B-cell and follicular lymphomas. Treatment and prognosis depend on the exact type, which is why expert pathology comes first.
Lymphomas · Symptoms
When to see a doctor.
A painless, persistent lump is the classic sign — though enlarged nodes have many non-cancer causes. See a doctor for:
Fevers & chills
Persistent or recurring fevers without infection.
Night sweats
Drenching night sweats.
Fatigue & weakness
Tiredness that doesn't improve with rest.
Weight & appetite loss
Unexplained weight loss or loss of appetite.
Breathlessness or pain
Shortness of breath, chest pain, or unexplained abdominal or bone pain.
Lymphomas · Diagnosis
How lymph node cancer is diagnosed.
Because treatment differs completely between lymphoma types — and between lymphoma and metastasis — diagnosis rests on expert tissue analysis.
Image · placeholderClinical examination of the lymph node regions
Clinical assessment
Examination of all node regions, plus blood tests including full blood count and markers.
Image · placeholderPathology — lymph node biopsy under the microscope
Excision or core biopsy
A whole node (or generous core) gives pathology enough tissue to type the lymphoma precisely.
Image · placeholderPET-CT staging on the review console
PET-CT staging
Whole-body PET-CT maps every involved site — the foundation of lymphoma staging and response assessment.
Image · placeholderBone marrow assessment illustration
Bone marrow assessment
Where indicated, marrow sampling completes the stage.
Lymphomas · Risk factors
What raises your risk?
Most lymphomas arise without a clear cause — but immunity plays a central role:
Reduced immunity
Immune suppression from birth, from immunosuppressant drugs, or from HIV infection raises lymphoma risk.
Age patterns
Hodgkin's lymphoma peaks in young adults (15–30); non-Hodgkin's becomes more common with age.
Infections
EBV and certain chronic infections are associated with specific lymphoma types.
Autoimmune disease
Some autoimmune conditions and their treatments raise risk.
Family history
A modest increase in risk with affected first-degree relatives.
Prior cancer
For secondary nodal disease, the main risk factor is simply the primary cancer itself.
Lymphomas · Treatment
How AARO treats lymph node cancer.
Systemic therapy leads most lymphoma treatment — with radiotherapy playing an enduring, precisely defined role, and SBRT offering options for limited metastatic nodal disease.
Involved-site radiotherapy (ISRT)
Modern lymphoma radiation treats only the involved sites at modest doses — consolidating cure after chemotherapy with far less exposure than historical fields.
Chemo-immunotherapy coordination
Radiation sequenced with the chemotherapy and immunotherapy regimens that anchor lymphoma cure.
SBRT for nodal oligometastases
For limited metastatic nodal disease from solid cancers — precise ablative treatment of each involved node.
Palliative radiotherapy
Fast, gentle relief of symptomatic nodal masses where the goal is comfort.
Lymphomas · Precision
Hours of planning, for one careful treatment.
Every plan at AARO goes through detailed contouring, dose simulation, and independent physics review before a single beam is delivered. We do this so the radiation hits exactly the tissue that needs it — and avoids the healthy tissue around it.
Image · placeholderTwo AARO radiation therapists at the planning console, reviewing a treatment plan together on a multi-monitor workstation.
We plan every dose.
Our medical physicists and radiation therapists collaborate on each plan — contouring tumour and organs-at-risk, simulating dose distribution, and independently checking every parameter before delivery.
Image · placeholderAn AARO team member reviewing verification imaging at the console — daily image guidance before treatment.
We verify every session.
Imaging before each fraction confirms the target's position to the millimetre — so tight margins stay safe, and healthy tissue stays out of the high-dose region.
Image · placeholderA patient comfortably positioned beneath the Elekta linear accelerator with green laser positioning lights and the signature starry ceiling above.
Lymphomas · What to expect
Quiet, precise, uneventful.
Each treatment session takes 15–30 minutes. You'll lie on a precision treatment couch beneath the linear accelerator. Positioning lasers and daily imaging align you to within a millimetre of the planned position.
You won't feel the radiation as it's delivered. There's no anaesthesia, no recovery time, and no overnight stay. Most patients drive themselves home after the session and return to normal activities the same day.
Image · placeholderThe four senior AARO specialists at the Centre for Stereotactic Radiosurgery.
Lymphomas · Your specialists
Meet Dr Michelle Tseng→
Sub-specialist care.
Lymphoma radiotherapy at AARO is planned with your haematologist — with sub-specialist expertise in haemato-oncology and modern involved-site techniques.
Dr Michelle TsengBreast · Gynae · Paediatric
Dr Jonathan TehGU · Head & Neck · GI · Sarcoma · Paediatric
Recently diagnosed? Or seeking a second opinion?
Book a 45–60 minute specialist consultation. We'll review your imaging and pathology, explain the options that apply to your case, and answer your questions.