The body’s lymph nodes fight off invaders as part of the immune system. Changes in the lymph nodes, such as enlargement or hardening, is a symptom in a number of childhood cancers. Coughing, shortness of breath and chest pain may also occur when the lymph nodes inside the chest cavity are affected. Lymphoma (another type of blood cancer) starts in the lymph nodes and accounts for 11 percent of all childhood cancers.
