Lymphoma: Cell related cancer..

Lymphoma is a type of cancer involving cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes. Just as cancer repre sents many different dis eases, lymphoma represents many different cancers of lymphocytes -about 35 dif ferent subtypes, in fact.

Definition and description Lymphoma is a group of cancers that affect the cells that play a role in the immune system and primarily represents cells involved in the lymphatic system of the body.

The lymphatic system is part of the immune system. It consists of a network of vessels that carry fluid called lymph, similar to the way that the network of blood vessels carries blood throughout the body. Lymph contains white blood cells called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes attack a variety of infectious agents as well as many cells in the precancerous stages of development.

Lymphocytes recognise infectious organisms and abnormal cells and destroy them. There are two major subtypes of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes and T lymphocytes also referred to as cells and T cells.

Causes The exact caus es of lymphoma are not known. Several factors have been linked to an increased risk of n developing lymphoma, but e it is unclear what role they play in the actual develops ment of lymphoma. These . risk factors include the folf lowing -d y · Age: Generally the risk of d Non-Hodgkins Lymd phoma increases with adh vancing age. Hodgkins s Lymphoma in the elderly is associated with a poorer f prognosis than that obs served in younger patients.

• Infection with HIV e · Infection with Epsteind Barr virus (EBV), one of the etiologic factors in    mononucleosis.
• Infection with Helicobac ter pylori, a bacterium that lives in the digestive tract.
• Infection with hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus medical conditions that compromise the immune system.
• Autoimmune disease.
• Diseases requiring im mune suppressive thera py.
• Inherited immunodefi ciency diseases.
• Exposure to toxic chemi cals.
•  Farm work or an occupa tion with exposure to cer tain toxic chemicals such as pesticides, herbicides, or benzene and/or other solvents.
• Black hair dye · Genetics: Family history of lymphoma.

The presence of these risk factors does not mean a person will actually develop lymphoma.

Symptoms Often, the first sign of lymphoma is a pain less swelling in the neck, under an arm, or in the groin. Lymph nodes or tissues elsewhere in the body may also swell. The enlarged lymph node some times causes other symptoms by p r e s s i n g against a vein or lymphati v e s s e (swelling of an arm or leg), erve (pain numbness, or tingling), o the stomach (early feeling o fullness). Enlargement of th spleen may cause abdomi nal pain or discomfort. Man have no other symptoms.

Symptoms may include · Fevers · Chills · Unexplained weight loss · Night sweats · Lack of energy · Itching Diagnosis If a person has swelling o symptoms described in the symptoms section, his/her health-care provider will ask many questions about the symptoms. These questions are followed by a thorough examination.

If, after an initial interview and examination, the health-care provider suspects a patient may have lymphoma, the patient will undergo a series of tests designed to provide further clarification. At some point in this, the patient will likely be referred to a specialist in blood diseases and cancer (haematologist/oncologist).

Blood tests or biopsy are run for the patient. If there is no palpable mass in the presence of persistent symptoms, imaging studies will likely be carried out in order to determine whether a mass is present and, if so, how then to direct a biopsy.

Treatment The vast majority of cancer patients receive ongoing care from oncologists but may in fact be referred to more than one oncologist should there be any question about the disease. Patients are always encouraged to gain second opinions if the situation so warrants this approach. Treatment for lymphoma depends on the type and stage.

Standard first-line therapy (primary therapy) for lymphoma includes radiation therapy for most early-stage lymphomas, or a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. For later-stage lymphomas, chemotherapy is primarily used, with radiation therapy added for control of bulky disease. Biological therapy, or immunotherapy, is being used in addition to or as an alternative to these standard therapies.

Prevention There is no known way to prevent lymphoma. A standard recommendation is to avoid known risk factors.

However, some risk factors for lymphoma are unknown, and therefore impossible to avoid. Infection with viruses such as HIV, EBV, and hepatitis are risk factors that can be avoided.