Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer

CancerGuru Types of Cancer Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Overview

NHL is a heterogeneous group of blood malignancies that originate from the lymphatic system, an essential component of the body's immune defenses...

The cancer usually arises primarily in the lymph nodes but may also spring from other parts...

The behavior and treatment of NHL depend on the specific histologic type and stage...

Thanks to these advances, the prognosis and overall survival seen in NHL patients is significantly better today compared to the past.

Types of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma contains no less than 70 subtypes, which are classified by practitioners based on the kind of lymphocyte that is affected.

B-cell lymphoma: These are cancers arising in B cells, which make antibodies for fighting infection-causing agents. About 85 percent of NHL diagnoses fall into this category.
T-cell lymphoma: These arise from T cells that target germs and foreign invaders to help B cells make antibodies.

Providers classify B-cell and T-cell lymphomas as fast-growing or slow-growing. Aggressive forms require more intensive treatment.

Risk Factors

Many risk factors include non-Hodgkin lymphoma...

The age is more than 60 (the risk in NHL increases with advancing years)
Male
White

Some other factors which might get you into NHL risk are:

Immune system deficiencies. HIV infection weakens the immune system and may increase your risk of developing NHL...
Autoimmune diseases. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis...
Infection. Many bacterial and viral infections such as H. pylori, HTLV-I, hepatitis C, and Epstein-Barr virus are linked to NHL.
Pesticides exposure. Some research indicated that people exposed to weed killers and insecticides have a slightly higher risk of NHL.
Family history. You may be at greater risk if you have a parent, sibling, or child with lymphoma or another blood cancer.

Symptoms

What are the Symptoms of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer?

Throat lumps, easily palpable in any of the three sites, should be preferred more when signs and symptoms reside in the territory nearby. Other manifestations and symptoms depend on specific areas where the lymphoma cells have invaded. Other non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) symptoms consist of:

Chronic fatigue
Chest discomfort
Cough
Dyspnea
Abdominal pain and swelling
Early satiety

Unexplained fevers (especially screw febrile elevated body temperature greater than 103°F or 39.5°C for at least two hours despite self-care measures or lasting more than two days)
Very firm drenching night sweats (the towels are drenched)
Unintentional weight loss (10 percent of your total body weight over six months)

Many other diseases share these symptoms. Having one or more does not necessarily mean you have non-Hodgkin lymphoma. However, if you notice changes in your body for several weeks, you should contact a healthcare provider.

B Symptoms

B symptoms — marking fever, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss — are also taken into consideration during lymphoma diagnosis by doctors. The presence or absence of these symptoms helps classify the type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and decide treatment options.

Causes

Too many lymphocytes in the body lead to the formation of non-Hodgkin lymphoma; these include B cells and T cells, or rarely, natural killer (NK) cells. Acquired genetic mutations that change the growth of lymphocytes contribute to the development of the condition. "Acquired" here means you develop them in life as opposed to being born with them.

In gross terms, when lymphocytes undergo mutation, they clap back by going into hyperpharylsis, which results in the formation of a tumor. The tumors usually have their origins in your lymph nodes. Since the lymphatic system extends to almost every corner of the body, that is how these non-Hodgkin lymphomas start and usually spread in the neighboring lymph organs.

Diagnosis

If non-Hodgkin lymphoma has been suspected after clinical examination, some cells must be taken for analysis. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis is made with multiple tests according to clinical signs and location.

Physical Examination

Your healthcare specialist checks to see if your lymph nodes in the neck, underarms, and groin areas are swollen. The health worker checks if your spleen or liver are enlarged.

Tests Of Blood And Urine

Blood and urine tests can help in ruling out infections or other diseases.

Imaging Tests

These tests include CT, MRI, and PET scans to look for lymphoma cells in other parts of the body. A lymph node biopsy may be needed to ascertain whether there are any cancer cells present as per your physician's request. A biopsy may either remove the entire lymph node or remove part of the lymph node for laboratory analysis. This will allow the laboratory to confirm the existence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, if present, and identify the specific type.

Tests Of The Bone Marrow

A needle draws off liquid bone marrow from the hip bone. Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy involve collecting cells from the bone marrow for testing. In aspiration, a needle pulls out some fluid; in biopsy, a needle removes a small amount of solid bone marrow. Usually done from the hip bone.

Lumbar Puncture

A lumbar puncture (spinal tap) removes fluid from the area around the spinal cord. This may be recommended if lymphoma is suspected in the spinal cord linings. A small needle is inserted into the spinal canal in the lower back to withdraw the fluid.

Treatments

The treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is, for the most part, medicinal and radiological. The drugs which help fight this cancer include chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.

Different therapies will be suggested for the patient because it depends on the type of lymphoma, the type of cells involved, and how fast the cells are proliferating. Your team will also take into account the condition of your health and your personal preferences.

If the lymphoma is growing so slowly and is not enabling any symptoms to the patient, treatment will not be started at once. Instead, he/she would be visiting every three months during which the healer can keep track of the entire progress and check whether the cancer is growing.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of medicines that are highly strong and powerful for the treatment of cancer. Chemotherapy has many kinds of medicines, most of them being given through injection. A few of these medicines are given only by mouth. In most cases, a patient of non-Hodgkin lymphoma will have chemotherapy as the first line of treatment. Sometimes, it may be given along with the targeted therapy.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is treating cancer by the dermatologist ramping up the immune system of the body to attack cancer cells via drugs. Other functions of the immune system include fighting infections and actually destroying germ cells and others that have no business being kept in the body. Cancer cells are very cunning and can actually hide from the immune system. Unfortunately, immunotherapy will help immune system cells find those cancer cells and stop the bad deed of growth by encouraging their finding and killing.

Target Therapy

Target therapy is treatment for cancer with drugs known to hit specific chemicals in the cancer cells. Targeted therapy treatments can kill cancer cells by blocking these chemicals. In non-Hodgkin lymphoma, it can be given alone with targeted therapy. More often, it is in combination with chemotherapy. This combination could be the first treatment given to you. Or it could be the second treatment offered to you if your lymphoma returned.

CAR-T Cell Therapy

Chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, or CAR-T cell therapy, trains the immune system cells to be able to fight off the non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The therapy starts with harvesting some white blood cells, T-lymphocytes, out of the blood. Then they are sent to the lab. In laboratories, the cells would be manipulated to express certain receptors. The receptors will help the cell recognize a specific target present on the surface of the lymphoma cells. Then the cells will be infused back in the patient to hunt down and kill the non-Hodgkin lymphoma cells.

Bone Marrow Transplantation

In a haulage of marrow transplantations, healthy stem cells from the bone marrow are formulated into the organism to replace the material damaged or destroyed through chemotherapeutically mediated therapies. When other treatments failed at some former treatment stage, patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma may have be subjected to bone marrow transplantations.

Radiotherapy

Use of energy beam does mean a therapy that has the potential to emit superlities into the human body for treating its diseases, such as neoplasms. For this purpose, different power sources, including X-rays or protons, may be used for generating energy. For treatment with radiation, the patient must lie down on a table when his or her surroundings is shrouded with a machine while it molds its speed against the material premised on the surface of the person's body.

Side Effects of Treatment

More common cancer treatments employed for non-Hodgkin lymphoma-treatment include chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy—having attendant side effects. Side effects can be immediate or short-term and disappear with the discontinuation of treatment; others may be long-term.

Make sure to ask your physician about possible side effects as treatment commences. The physician helps also to weigh the benefits against side effects by informing them of the potential side effects.

Support

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is no easy diagnosis. Some of these suggestions and resources may assist you in coping with cancer:

Learn about Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

You should get to know enough about this cancer to feel good about decision-making regarding treatment and care. You should communicate with your healthcare team, look in your local library, and surf the Internet. Among the sources are the National Cancer Institute and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Keep the Support Strong

Keep your relationships solid to help you cope with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Friends and family can provide practical support for you, such as helping care for your house when in the hospital, and they can afford some emotional support. You may also find it helpful to join a support group or talk with fellow cancer patients.

Make Realistic Goals

Goals will make you feel more in control and give you a sense of purpose; goals that are attainable. Do not set any potentially distant goals for yourself; for example, do not plan on working a 40-hour week, but maybe you can work part-time.

Take Care of Yourself

Eat nutritious meals, practice relaxation techniques, and sleep well. This personal time will aid with stress and fatigue. Plan for resting more in times when you feel drained.

Stay Active

Having a lot of cancer does not mean you have to abstain from all of your supposed pleasures. Basically, if you're feeling well enough to do something, then do it. Get as active and involved as much as you can.

Prevention

In some instances, an effective treatment may enable an individual to develop a non-Hodgkin lymphoma cure. By this, we imply that treatment has eradicated all cancer cells for good. This usually occurs after treatment for aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Most aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas will return within the first two years following treatment or not at all. Although, you will need regular appointments for your healthcare provider to check for relapses.

Different from other non-Hodgkin lymphomas, especially the indolent ones. You probably have this condition long-term. This means continuous or occasional treatment will probably be needed for the rest of your life.

However, it is worth stressing that even if non-Hodgkin lymphoma cannot be cured, treatments at present are proving instrumental in enabling patients to live longer and fuller lives even with the disease. For most indolent types of lymphoma, deaths will usually occur from other causes even though curing of lymphomas may not be possible.

Questions to Ask your Healthcare Provider about Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cancer

Q1. Do I have Cancer of Non-Hodgkin's Type?
Q2. Which Kind of Non-Hodgkin's Type Cancer Do I Have?
Q3. What's the Stage of My Cancer?
Q4. Is My Condition Fast Growing or Slow Growing?
Q5. Will I Need to Undergo Further Examination?
Q6. Will I Need Therapy?
Q7. Treatment Options Available to Me?
Q8. What are the Possible Side Effects for Each Treatment?