Although its first description dates back to the 17th century and its first formal identification was dated in 1832, lymphoma is still a relatively little-known disease. This disease has an incidence of between three and six people per 100,000 inhabitants, being common among age groups between 15 and 35 and 50 to 70 years of age. Although their cure depends a lot on age, the stage in which the disease is found at the time of diagnosis, lymphomas have a 60% healing percentage.
Lymphomas have several types and up to more than 90 subtypes, showing each lymphoma has different biological and clinical characteristics, involving very varied prognoses and treatments. Knowing well what lymphoma is, its causes, symptoms, and treatments is a good step to take care of yourself from knowledge.
What is Lymphoma?
Lymphoma is a type of cancer that starts in lymph tissue affecting lymphocytes. White and defensive cells of the immune system mutate genetically and begin to multiply rapidly. Ineffective and sick lymphocytes multiply in the lymph nodes, as well as in other tissues such as the spleen or liver.
The lymph nodes end up widening, causing weight loss, tiredness, sweating, breathing problems, and coughing in those affected. Any product of the malfunction of the immune system and getting worse as the disease spreads throughout the body.
Causes of Lymphoma
The causes of lymphoma are unknown, although there are some cases associated with a virus-produced infection such as Epstein-Barr (EBV) or bacteria such as Helicobacter pylori or Borrelia, also being very prone to people infected with HIV.
Efforts have also been made to link this type of cancer to products such as insecticides, hair dyes, or ionizing radiation, without definitive conclusions being reached.
Symptoms of Lymphomas
Symptoms of lymphomas have as more obvious signs the inflammation of the lymph nodes located in very visible and accessible areas such as the neck or armpits. Blbs or adenopathies usually do not hurt and can be noticed in size by just paling them. They can also appear in less accessible places and where they are not so noticeable, making the diagnosis more complicated.
Added to these symptoms are high fever, more than 38 degrees, significant weight loss, abundant sweating at night, peripheral adenopathies, and enlargement of the spleen or spleen.
Types of Lymphomas
Specialists point out that there are more than 90 subtypes of lymphoma, although all can be classified into two large groups. This classification is carried out based on the type of immune cells that have been affected. Thus, two groups of lymphomas are established:
Hodgkin’s lymphoma
This type of lymphoma has an incidence of 2-3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per year. It is a cancer that affects teens and young adults the most. It has an 80% healing percentage. 10% of lymphomas are of this type.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Most lymphomas, 90% of which are of this type, are one of the most frequent tumors and with the highest mortality rate, although it has been reduced in recent decades.
Lymphomems according to the prognosis
They are also usually classified according to the prognosis, divided into indolent, aggressive, and highly aggressive. The former grows slowly, without the need for treatments if symptoms do not develop. All aggressive people grow up quickly and need early treatment to cope, cure them, and extend patients’ life expectancy.
Diagnosis
The diagnosis of lymphoma is done by performing a physical examination of adenopathies, in addition to performing a ganglion biopsy. With this result and the patient’s medical history, it may also be necessary to do other tests such as a blood test with a blood count and biochemical profile, serologies, chest and Tac X-rays of neck, chest, pelvis, and abdomen, including in some cases a CT scan or a bone marrow biopsy.
All this battery of tests will make it possible to establish what type of lymphoma the patient suffers and what type of treatment is needed. In addition, it is essential to determine at what stage the disease is. Thus, four stadiums are established, from I to IV, going from the slightest and least extended to the most serious and disseminated by extra-lunatic locations.
Treatments for lymphomas
Treatments for lymphomas must always be adapted to the type of lymphoma, the stage in which the disease is located, and its extent, in addition to the general state of health of the patient. Progress in recent years has provided a deeper understanding of the disease and more effective treatments. Treatments aimed at eliminating the largest number of cancer cells and the disease referring to it.
Specialists point to several treatments as keys to controlling, slowing, and remitting lymphoma. Active surveillance is presented as basic for the planning of treatment times. It should be borne in mind that some types of lymphoma are slow-evolved, and active control is required to act quickly at the right time when symptoms become more noticeable. Periodic testing will be the fundamental tool for controlling the evolution of lymphoma.
The chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is one of the usual treatments for lymphoma. Medicines are usually given by vein or in the form of a pill, with the destruction of cancer cells being their main effect. Something that radiation therapy is also used for.
The bone marrow transplant
Bone marrow transplantation, also known as stem cell transplantation, is another treatment to suppress the affected bone marrow and reconstruct it with healthy stem cells from the patient’s bone marrow or a donor.
Therapy with T lymphocytes
Finally, it is worth noting the appearance of treatments such as T lymphocyte therapy with chimeric receptors for the antigen or CAR. Thus, redesigning T cells that deal with the germs that attack the body, is about dealing with cancer cells and remitting the effects of lymphoma.