Book a vet visit soon
Not usually an emergency, but it needs a diagnosis and a plan.
The most common cancer of camelids, sometimes affecting surprisingly young animals.
- Category
- Other conditions
- Urgency
- Book a vet visit soon
- Also called
- Lymphosarcoma
Signs & symptoms
- Weight loss
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Difficulty breathing or swallowing
- Lethargy
Related symptom guides: Weight Loss.
What causes it?
Unknown in most cases.
Risk factors
- Any age
How vets diagnose it
Biopsy or fine-needle aspirate; ultrasound.
Treatment
No effective long-term treatment in most cases.
Prevention
- None known
Background
Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes. The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumors. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, drenching sweats, unintended weight loss, itching, and constantly feeling tired. The enlarged lymph nodes are usually painless. The sweats are most common at night.From Wikipedia — “Lymphoma”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Research & references
PubMed lists 35 peer-reviewed papers on this topic in camelids. The most relevant include:
- In vivo CAR T cell generation using retargeted and functionalized lentiviral vectors with reduced immunogenicity. Ibrahim KE, Mears KS, Allen PM et al. Nature communications, 2026. PubMed 41942453 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 2×
- Development of specific nanobodies (VHH) for CD19 immuno-targeting of human B-lymphocytes. Banihashemi SR, Hosseini AZ, Rahbarizadeh F et al. Iranian journal of basic medical sciences, 2018. PubMed 29922424 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 8×
- Selection and characterization of single domain antibodies against human CD20. Liu JL, Zabetakis D, Goldman ER et al. Molecular immunology, 2016. PubMed 27639717 · DOI · cited 9×
- Theranostic Radiolabeled Anti-CD20 sdAb for Targeted Radionuclide Therapy of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. Krasniqi A, D'Huyvetter M, Xavier C et al. Molecular cancer therapeutics, 2017. PubMed 29054987 · DOI · cited 58×
- Preclinical development of a novel CD47 nanobody with less toxicity and enhanced anti-cancer therapeutic potential. Ma L, Zhu M, Gai J et al. Journal of nanobiotechnology, 2020. PubMed 31931812 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 85×
- Humanized CD7 nanobody-based immunotoxins exhibit promising anti-T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia potential. Yu Y, Li J, Zhu X et al. International journal of nanomedicine, 2017. PubMed 28331319 · DOI · Free full textOpen access · cited 57×
Frequently asked questions
What is lymphoma (Lymphosarcoma) in alpacas?
The most common cancer of camelids, sometimes affecting surprisingly young animals.
What are the signs of lymphoma (Lymphosarcoma)?
Weight loss, enlarged lymph nodes, difficulty breathing or swallowing and lethargy.
How do you prevent lymphoma (Lymphosarcoma)?
None known.
Is lymphoma (Lymphosarcoma) an emergency?
Book a vet visit soon. Not usually an emergency, but it needs a diagnosis and a plan.
This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.