Doctors don’t know what causes Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system that 54,000 Americans are diagnosed with every year. What they do know is that cases of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma have more than doubled over the past 30 years. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is seven to eight times more common than Hodgkin’s disease, and there are over thirty variations of the disease. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is seen as tumors arising from affected white blood cells in various places in the body. Survival of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma depends on how quickly it is diagnosed, with many and form swellings and tumors. The white blood cells are divided into two types, B cells which make plasma which then make elements to fight foreign substances, and T cells that fight foreign bodies. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs in B cells most of the time. After in lymphoid, the disease can then spread to other parts of the lymphatic system, such as the tonsils, adenoids, spleen, thymus, bone marrow.
Older people are more likely to get sick with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but it can strike at any age. Often the solitary sign of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is in the first swollen lymph glands in the neck, groin, or arm, but they will be painless and very noticeable at first. Other symptoms may include fever, malaise, weight loss, abdominal pain, and night sweats. Testing them, especially swollen glands, triggers a red flag and a trip to the doctor should be made as soon as possible. Your doctor will run a battery of tests, including blood and urine tests, to rule out other diseases. CT scans and X-rays can identify tumors that have grown from white blood cells and a newer procedure called emission tomography, where a tiny trace of radioactive material is injected into the body. A lymph node biopsy can be done, and doctors also know if Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is an active or aggressive type. A bone marrow biopsy will tell if the disease has spread to other parts and systems of the body.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is characterized by the degree to which the abnormal cells are located and where they spread. Stage I is when the lymphoma cells are in only one lymph node or part of an organ or tissue. Stage II means that the lymphoma cells are in at least two nodes on the same side of the diaphragm, which is the muscle that separates the heart and lungs from the abdominal cavity. Stage II can also see the cells in the organ and the lymph nodes in the vicinity of that organ, on that side of the diaphragm. Lymphoma above and below the diaphragm, or in the organs and tissues around those nodes, is described as Stage III. Lymphoma that invades at least one organ or tissue, either the liver, blood, or bone marrow, is stage IV Non-Hodgkin’s disease.
How Hodgkin’s Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has progressed will determine its treatment. Chemotherapy will combine various drugs, oral and injectable, with fight rapidly growing cells. Chemo is used when the disease moves quickly through the body. Radiation can be used to shrink cancer cells and tumors, and is good early in slow-moving cancer. A drug called Rituximab helps the body’s immune system later and eradicate cancer cells, and recently developed drugs combined with the use of radioactive isotopes It is to be used as a last resort in serious cases. bone marrow transplant are also helpful against Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in some cases. The prognosis for survival or complete recovery depends on several factors, with early detection always being more important. Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester was diagnosed with a form of Non-Hodgkin’s disease this past summer and is expected to make a full recovery, just like actor Gene Wilder did in 2000.
