{"id":20517,"date":"2026-07-31T10:32:59","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:32:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/sessions\/from-pruritus-to-persistent-cough-early-clues-to-an-underlying-lymphoproliferative-disorder\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T10:32:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T10:32:59","slug":"from-pruritus-to-persistent-cough-early-clues-to-an-underlying-lymphoproliferative-disorder","status":"publish","type":"wsa_session","link":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/sessions\/from-pruritus-to-persistent-cough-early-clues-to-an-underlying-lymphoproliferative-disorder\/","title":{"rendered":"From Pruritus to Persistent Cough: Early clues to an underlying Lymphoproliferative Disorder"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Early manifestations of lymphoproliferative disorders can be subtle and easily overlooked. Cough and pruritus frequently mimic benign dermatological or respiratory conditions.36 year old lady presenting to the clinic with a 6 week history of worsening cough, white phlegm, no systemic symptoms. Smokes 25 cigartettes daily. Normally fit and well.\u00a0 She was on anxiolytics which were prescibed for pruritus one year ago. She had multiple presentations with generalized pruritus\u00a0 for which she was prescribed\u00a0 emolients, antihistamines and anxiolytics as this was attributed to her anxiety. But this did not settle. When asked about\u00a0 her anxiety she did not seem\u00a0 concerned. Examination\u00a0 revealed multiple scratch marks . She had a CXR in view of the duration of her cough. Showed bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy and right sided pleural effusion. Blood tests showed\u00a0 elevated white cells. She was discussed with\u00a0 respiratory team, had a CT Thorax which showed extensive lymphadenopathy suggestive of lymphoproliferative disease and biopsy of lymph node suggesting Lymphoma.\u00a0 She was started on chemotherpay and is stable.This case presented with unusal presentation of Lymphoma, cough and generalized pruritus without obvious lymphadenopathy. These symptoms are normally attributed to\u00a0 allergies or viruses making the case diagnostically challenging.\u00a0 Lymphomas present with B symptoms but pruritus alone without fever, night sweats or weight loss can be misleading.\u00a0 This case highlights how easily malignancies can be masked by everyday symptoms.Symptoms that do not resolve with initial management warrant re-evaluation. The patient had multiple presentations with pruritus and given treatments which were not working. Her cough\u00a0 was present on most days but was not given importance.\u00a0 \u00a0Importance of recognizing non-specific but persistent symptoms and considering a broader differential diagnosis, including less common ones like lymphoma.In cases with persistent pruritus and cough\u00a0 CBC, CRP &amp; CXR should be considered.\u00a0Missing early opportunitues for investigation can contribute to delayed diagnosis.This is a strong example of how common presentations can hide serious disease and importance of educating others for diagnostic curiosity. Brings to light ways of potentially imroving practice by implementing quality improvement initiatives around, persistent symptoms, red flags check list, documentation and\u00a0 follow up protocols.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-20517","wsa_session","type-wsa_session","status-publish","hentry","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session\/20517","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/wsa_session"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/wsa_session"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/woncaeurope2026.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20517"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}