Cancer Of Lymph Glands (Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas)

Alternative Names

Lymphoma - non-Hodgkin's; Lymphocytic lymphoma; Histolytic lymphoma.

What is Cancer Of Lymph Glands (Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas)

A lymphoma is a cancer that affects the lymph tissues found in the lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, adenoids and tonsils, stomach and the intestinal tract.

The lymphatic system includes:

Lymph vessels – a network of thin tubes found all over the body.

Lymph – a clear fluid carried by the lymph vessels. This fluid travels to and from the tissues before being emptied into the bloodstream.

Lymphocytes – white blood cells found in lymph, which help fight infection. Lymphocytes can be B-cells or T-cells.

Lymph nodes or glands – a network of small, bean-shaped structures found throughout the body, including the neck, under the arm, chest, abdomen and groin. Any bacteria the lymph picks up from the tissues become trapped in the lymph nodes causing them to swell. This is why the gland in your neck becomes enlarged when you have a sore throat.

Signs and symptoms

• Painless swelling of lymph nodes in the neck, groin or underarm;
• Fevers;
• Heavy night sweats;
• Tiredness;
• Weight loss without a known reason;
• Severe itchiness;
• Reddened patches on the skin;
• Nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain;

Possible complications

The list of complications for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma includes:

• Anemia (Anemia is a general term for having too few red blood cells in the blood);
• Organ damage - from any nearby swollen lymph nodes;
• Side Effects of Stem Cell Transplantation;
• Complications of Complementary and Alternative Therapies;

What causes

The cause of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) is unknown. But some risk factors are thought to be:

• being aged 60 and above;
• autoimmune disease (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis);
• exposure to pesticides, chemical solvents, and dyes;
• exposure to some viral infections such as Epstein-Barr virus;
• immunodeficiency states such as AIDS, congenital immunodeficiency, chronic immunosuppression by medications;
• prior exposure to chemotherapy or radiation therapy;

Prevention

Most people with non-Hodgkin lymphoma have no known risk factors, so there was no way to prevent their lymphomas from developing. For now, the best way to reduce the risk for non-Hodgkin lymphoma is to try to prevent known risk factors such as immune deficiency.

The most common preventable cause of immune deficiency is human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Blood transfusions are now an extremely rare source of HIV infection. HIV is spread among adults mostly through unprotected sex and by injection drug users sharing contaminated needles. Curbing the spread of HIV would prevent many deaths from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Treating HIV with anti-HIV drugs also lowers the chance of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Treatment

Treatment plans weigh heavily on the type of lymphoma and the stage. There are four standard methods of lymphoma treatment:

1. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is drug treatment — given orally or by injection — that kills cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs can be given alone, in combination with other chemotherapy drugs or combined with other treatments.

2. Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy uses high doses of radiation to kill cancerous cells and shrink tumors. During radiation therapy, you're positioned on a table and a large machine directs radiation at precise points on your body.

3. Biologic therapy

Biological therapy is a type of treatment that works with your immune system. It can help fight cancer or help control side effects.

4. Stem cell transplant/bone marrow transplant

A stem cell transplant may be used so that you can have intensive high-dose chemotherapy (and sometimes radiotherapy) to kill cancerous cells. The chemotherapy is higher than conventional chemotherapy and also kills the stem cells in the bone marrow that would normally make blood cells.

Treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma usually includes chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In some cases, a combination of both is used to treat the disease. Hodgkin's lymphoma treatment varies among the more than twenty types of the disease. Chemotherapy is the standard treatment for most types, but other types of treatment may also be needed.