Lymphoma is the development of cancer cells in the human lymphatic system.
This term unites a group of 30 diseases that differ in their symptoms, type of tumors and response to therapy. For productive treatment, you need to know what kind of lymphoma is involved.
Lymphoma is a consequence of abnormal cell development
This type of cancer appears at the moment when the lymphocytes (white blood cells that help the body defend against infections) begin to behave abnormally: they divide much faster than normal, and in addition, they live longer than they should. All this causes the development of tumors in many parts of the body where these cells are available: in the spleen, lymph nodes, in the bone marrow, blood, as well as in organs having lymphoid tissue: stomach, conjunctiva of the eye, skin, etc.
Basically, lymphomas are divided into two types: Hodgkin's disease (in this case, there are Sternberg-Read cells in the body) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Due to the fact that the treatment of these pathologies varies, it is very important to establish the type of disease.
How does lymphoma manifest
This pathological condition in the initial stage is sometimes manifested by a set of symptoms, which, by the way, are very reminiscent of the manifestations of influenza, colds or respiratory diseases. Patients do not go to the doctor, thinking that they are dealing with a protracted infection, and this often interferes with identifying lymphoma at an early stage of development.
These symptoms include:
- fever;
- swollen lymph nodes (it can be either painful or not) under the arms, in the groin and on the neck;
- chills;
- weakness;
- night sweats;
- persistent itching throughout the body for no apparent reason;
- headache;
- unexplained weight loss.
Lymphomas can be divided by the rate of development into inactive and active species. The former grow slowly and appear with a small number of signs, while the latter cause serious symptoms and develop rapidly, requiring urgent treatment.
How lymphoma is detected: tests and examinations
As a rule, patients consult a doctor with complaints of enlarged lymph nodes. But remember - this symptom is characteristic of many diseases and is not necessarily associated with lymphoma!
Therefore, before making an accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to carefully examine the patient to assess the prevalence of the disease and the condition of the organs. This includes a physical examination, a lymph node biopsy, an x-ray, blood tests (biochemical and general), MRI, PET, computed tomography, etc.
Lymphoma is being treated!
Lymphomas occur in the cells of the immune system and, with the flow of lymph and blood, spread throughout the body. Therefore, at the time of diagnosis in a patient, as a rule, cancer cells can be found in different parts of the body. Because of this, the definition of the standard stages of cancer: a tumor, lymph nodes, metastases - is not suitable for lymphomas.
But late diagnosis is not a sentence for a patient in whom lymphoma was detected. This disease is treated much more effectively than other types of oncology. The main thing is to determine its appearance. So, indolent lymphomas may not require special treatment. In other cases, both radio and chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation are used. Up to 80% of patients can survive at least 5 years after treatment.