Lymphoma
Lymphoma is a cancer originating in the lymphatic system, part of the body’s germ-fighting network. The development of lymphoma begins when a disease-fighting white blood cell, called a lymphocyte, develops a genetic mutation. The mutation tells the cell to multiply rapidly, causing many diseased lymphocytes to continue to multiply. The mutation allows the cells to go on living when other normal cells would die. This causes many diseased and ineffective lymphocytes in your lymph nodes and causes the lymph nodes, spleen, and liver to swell.
The two primary types of lymphoma are Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but many types of lymphoma also exist.
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma: In Hodgkin’s lymphoma, people have large lymphoma cells called Reed-Sternberg cells in their lymph nodes.
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma: Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma often arises from your B cells or T cells.
Symptoms
Doctors aren’t sure what causes lymphoma, but the signs and symptoms of may include:
- Fever
- Itchy skin
- Night sweats
- Painless swollen lymph nodes in your next armpits or groin
- Persistent fatigue
- Shortness of breath
- Unexplained weight loss
We encourage you to make an appointment for any persistent signs or symptoms that worry you.
Diagnosis
Tests and procedures used to diagnose lymphoma:
- Blood tests: To count the number of cells in a blood sample.
- Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy for testing: To look for lymphoma cells.
- Imaging tests: To look for signs of lymphoma in other areas of your body.
- Physical exam: To check for swollen lymph nodes and a swollen spleen or liver.
- Lymph node biopsy for testing: To determine if lymphoma cells are present.
Treatment
The best treatment for you depends on your lymphoma type and its severity.
Your personalized treatment plan may include a combination of the following:
- Bone marrow transplant: A stem cell transplant suppresses your bone marrow, and then healthy bone marrow stem cells are infused into your blood.
- CAR-T therapy: Takes your body’s germ-fighting T cells, engineering them to fight cancer cells, and infuses them back into your body.
- Chemotherapy: Uses drugs, administered through a vein or taken as a pill, designed to destroy fast-growing cancer cells.
- Radiation therapy: Uses high-powered beams of energy to kill cancer cells.
Advances in the diagnosis and treatment of lymphoma have helped give people with this disease the chance for a full recovery.