Tumours caused by lymphoma usually grow in lymph nodes. However lymphoma can also affect other organs of the body, especially the spleen, liver and bone marrow, and sometimes the nervous system and spinal cord.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's germ-fighting network. The lymphatic system includes the lymph nodes (lymph glands), spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow. Lymphoma can affect all those areas as well as other organs throughout the body.
The lymphatic system is throughout most of the body. This means you can get lymphoma almost anywhere. It is commonly first seen in the lymph nodes in the neck, but it is also common to find it in the liver or spleen.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of lymphoma, a cancer that begins in the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is an important part of the immune system and includes the various lymph glands around the body.
Hodgkin lymphoma is an uncommon cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, which is a network of vessels and glands spread throughout your body. The lymphatic system is part of your immune system.
Diffuse large B cell lymphoma
This fast-growing lymphoma accounts for about one third of NHL cases. For this lymphoma, it is typical for lymph nodes to double in size every month, and patients often present within a few months of having noted an enlarged lymph node.
The most common sign of lymphoma is a lump or lumps, usually in the neck, armpit or groin. These lumps are swollen lymph nodes, sometimes known as 'glands'. Usually, they're painless.
Burkitt lymphoma: Considered the most aggressive form of lymphoma, this disease is one of the fastest growing of all cancers. Burkitt lymphoma, named for the surgeon who first identified the cancer in the 1950s, accounts for about 2 percent of all lymphoma diagnoses.
Some patients with primary hepatic lymphoma can develop acute liver failure, which carries a significant risk of mortality. Tumor bleeding and hematological spread to other locoregional lymph nodes have also been documented.
Blood Tests for Lymphoma
Blood tests are essential to accurately diagnosing this complex disease. These tests can show whether you have lymphoma cells or abnormal levels of normal cells: Blood smear: We take a drop of blood and look at it under a microscope.
Causes of lymphoma
In most cases, there is no known cause for lymphoma. However, for a few types of lymphoma, scientists have identified a cause: Most cases of gastric MALT lymphoma are caused by a common bacterial infection called Helicobacter pylori. Usually, Helicobacter pylori causes stomach ulcers and indigestion.
Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma or Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.
This is a rare, slow-growing type of lymphoma. It's found mainly in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen. This type of lymphoma can't be cured.
The most common symptom of Hodgkin lymphoma is a swelling in the neck, armpit or groin. The swelling is usually painless, although some people find that it aches. The swelling is caused by an excess of affected lymphocytes (white blood cells) collecting in a lymph node (also called lymph glands).
With lymphoma, the lymph nodes often grow slowly and may be there for months or years before they're noticed. But sometimes they grow very quickly. Usually, the swollen nodes don't hurt. But some people say their lumps ache or are painful.
Hepatic lymphoma can present without mass-effect and mimic focal fatty infiltration on CT exams.
Stage 4. Stage 4 means one of the following: your lymphoma is in an extranodal site and lymph nodes are affected. your lymphoma is in more than one extranodal site, for example the liver, bones or lungs.
Skin reactions are common. Chemotherapy kills cells that multiply quickly, such as lymphoma cells. It also causes damage to fast-growing normal cells, including hair cells and cells that make up the tissues in your mouth, gut and bone marrow. The side effects of chemotherapy occur as a result of this damage.
Follicular lymphoma
almost 90 in 100 people (almost 90%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Aggressive lymphoma, also known as high-grade lymphoma, is a group of fast growing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Some common symptoms for aggressive lymphoma are weight loss, night sweats, nausea and recurrent fevers. Since these tumors are fast to grow and spread, immediate intervention is required after diagnosis.
NHL usually starts in an area of lymph nodes. When it spreads to an organ or tissue outside of the lymph nodes, it is called extranodal spread.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma becomes more common as people get older. Unlike most cancers, rates of Hodgkin lymphoma are highest among teens and young adults (ages 15 to 39 years) and again among older adults (ages 75 years or older).