World Lymphoma Awareness Day, 15 September - Theme, History & Importance
World Lymphoma Awareness Day is an annual event organised every year on 15th September to create awareness about the cancer of the lymphatic system and educate people about the functionality of lymphatic systems, which consists of lymph nodes, spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow.
Lymphoma Awareness Day was started to spread and create public interest and awareness to understand Lymphoma and its types in terms of symptoms and diagnosis so that early detection could help patients consult the specialists to manage it. It is essential to understand the lymphatic systems as it defines our body's defence mechanism. Once the functionality of the lymphatic system is compromised, it's likely to get affected by various infectious diseases and other disorders, which can lead to severe ailments.
Lymphoma is a common blood cancer that happens due to the malfunctioning (genetic mutation) of white blood cells called lymphocytes, causing rapid and uncontrolled growth of cells in the lymphatic system. This accumulation of lymphocytes adversely impacts the lymph nodes.
There are two main types of Lymphoma: Hodgkin's Lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is the most common Lymphoma prevailing in India, with age-adjusted incidence rates for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in men and women are 2.9/100,000 and 1.5/100,000, respectively.
World Lymphoma Awareness Day theme 2023
This year 2023, the World Lymphoma Awareness Day theme is "We Can’t Wait to Focus on Our Feelings.".
The theme primarily emphasises improving the psychological and emotional challenges the patients could go through. Responding to stress and coping positively can benefit not only the patients but also their family and friends, thus bringing them the closure they need.
It is quite easy to overlook the emotional and psychological destress the lymphoma patients undergo who receive therapy. Nevertheless, it must be understood that treating distress is as important as treating the cancer itself, as the destress can interfere with treatment.
Distress could be multifactorial experiences of emotional, social, cognitive, behavioural, and/or spiritual nature, which could interfere with not only the physical symptoms but also its treatment.
A systematic review published in 2023 demonstrated that among the various factors that help in mitigating distress, the prime factors include:
- Adaptive adjustments to cancer
- Adequate social support and
- Active engagement of healthcare professionals' support
Year by year, the past themes for World Lymphoma Awareness Day are:
- World Lymphoma Awareness Day 2022 Theme - We Can't-Wait - There is an urgent need to improve the ways lymphomas are diagnosed, treated and tracked!
- World Lymphoma Awareness Day 2021 Theme - We Can't Wait. (couldn’t get the rest)
- World Lymphoma Awareness Day 2011 Theme - Know your Nodes
History of World Lymphoma Awareness Day
World Lymphoma Awareness Day initiatives were first taken and organised by Lymphoma Coalition, a non-profit organisation, in 2004, and later gained immense popularity throughout the globe.

Lymphoma Coalition is a network of lymphoma patient groups from 52 countries, supporting doctors, nurses, patient support groups, patients, and their families by creating awareness and educating them about the crucial knowledge on lymphoma symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and how to tackle it and lead a healthy lifestyle.
Symptoms of Lymphoma
Lymphomas have very generalised signs and symptoms that can also be symptoms of other diseases like influenza or other viral infections. It's not necessary that all these symptoms could become a reason for lymphoma. Nevertheless, the sooner the diagnosis, the higher the chances of receiving appropriate treatment.
Some of the common symptoms are:
- Swollen lymph nodes in the armpit, neck, or groin that are painless.
- Fatigue.
- Night sweats.
- Recurrent fever.
- Loss of appetite.
- Tonsil hypertrophy.
- Bone pain.
- Headache.
- Unexplained weight loss.
- Persistent itching for no reason.
- Chest pain, cough, or breathlessness.
Lymphoma is a severe blood cancer with increasing incidence every year due to the lack of awareness about the lymphatic systems, limited research data and less involvement of organisations on global platforms.
There are nearly 10 lakh people with lymphoma in the world, and almost 1000 people are diagnosed with lymphoma every day, so it is essential to educate people about the lymphatic system, signs, and symptoms of this disease to curb the increasing trend of lymphoma.
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