What is Lymphoma? Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment Options

Lymphoma is a malignancy that starts in the immune system’s infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. These cells are found in the lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, bone marrow, and other areas of the body.

Types of Lymphoma

Lymphoma is primarily of two types, namely:

• Hodgkin lymphoma (also called Hodgkin disease).
• Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Different lymphocyte cells are involved in non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin lymphoma. Lymphoma grows at different rates and responds to therapy in diverse ways.

Lymphoma is a very curable cancer, and the prognosis varies depending on the kind and stage of the cancer. Lymphoma is often misunderstood as leukemia, but the truth is they’re two distinct types of cancer. Each of these malignancies develops from a distinct type of cell. Lymphoma develops from infection-fighting cells, while leukemia begins in the bone marrow’s blood-forming cells.

Causes of Lymphoma

In most cases of lymphoma, scientists are not even able to predict the actual causes. Some of the common risk factors for being prone to lymphoma include:

• People in their 60s or older are easily diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• People between the ages of 15-40 or older than 55 are susceptible to Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Men are more likely to be affected by lymphoma than women, although most subtypes are more common in women.
• Having a weak immune system due to HIV/AIDS, an organ transplant, or being naturally born with an immune deficiency.
• Have an autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s syndrome, lupus, or celiac disease.
• Received radiation therapy for cancer treatment.
• Having been affected by a virus such as Epstein-Barr, hepatitis C, or human T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (HTLV-1)
• Having a close relative who has lymphoma.
• If you were ever exposed to benzene or chemicals that kill bugs and weeds.

Symptoms of Lymphoma

Some of the warning signs that shouldn’t be avoided.

• Swollen glands, often in the neck, armpit, or groin, are usually painless.
• Cough
• Shortness of breath
• Fever
• Night sweats
• Fatigue
• Weight loss
• Itching

Since most of these symptoms can be warning signs of other illnesses, it is advised to consult your doctor to make sure you have lymphoma.

Diagnosis of Lymphoma

Before getting into the process of testing you, the doctor will want to know the following things.

• How have you been feeling recently?
• What were the first changes you noticed?
• Are you experiencing any pain? If so, where?
• How has your appetite been?
• Have you noticed any recent weight loss?
• Do you often feel weak or fatigued?
• Are you currently undergoing any medication or treatment?
• Can you share details of any past health issues and treatments?
• What is your family’s medical history?

A physical exam will be performed by your doctor, including a check on swollen lymph nodes. This does not particularly mean you have cancer. This is a common cause of many infections unrelated to cancer.

Your doctor will perform a lymph node biopsy to check for cancer cells. To conduct this procedure, the doctor will remove all or part of a lymph node or extract a small tissue sample from the affected node using a needle.

There are a few other ways to diagnose lymphoma, too. Some of these are:

• Bone marrow aspiration or biopsy – Your doctor will use a needle to remove the fluid or tissue from your bone marrow.
• Chest X-ray. Using low doses of radiation, images of the inside of your heart will be taken.
• MRI – With powerful magnets and radio waves, a technician will make pictures of organs and structures in your body.
• PET scan – This imaging test scan uses radioactive substances to find cancer cells in your body.
• Molecular test – The purpose of this test is to help your doctor in figuring out what type of lymphoma you have by finding changes in genes, proteins, and other substances in cancer cells
• Blood tests – These check the number of specific cells, levels of other substances, or evidence of infection in your blood.

Treatment for Lymphoma

The treatment solely depends on the type of lymphoma and the stage at which it is present. The primary treatments for non-Hodgkin lymphoma are:

• Chemotherapy kills cancer cells using drugs.
• Radiation therapy destroys cancer cells using high radiation.
• Immunotherapy makes your body’s immune system capable of fighting cancer cells.
• Targeted therapy targets the aspects of lymphoma cells to restrict their growth.

The primary treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma are:

• Chemotherapy
• Immunotherapy
• Radiation therapy

If none of these treatments proves efficient, your doctor will advise you for a stem cell transplant. At first, you will be given a high dosage of chemotherapy. This treatment will kill all the cancer cells and destroy the stem cells. After chemotherapy, you will be going through a stem cell transplant.

Stem cell transplant is of two types that can be performed:

• An autologous transplant is a type of stem cell transplant that uses your stem cells.
• An allogeneic stem cell transplant is a type of stem cell transplant that uses stem cells from a donor.

Healing After Treatment: Essential Self-Care Tips

There might be many side effects after treating lymphoma. Consult your doctor about how to relieve symptoms. Ask them about a change in your diet and exercises to follow after treatment. If you are unsure about what foods to consume, ask your dietician. Activities such as walking and swimming will help overcome fatigue during treatment times.

Frequently Asked Questions