Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that occurs when white blood cells, known as lymphocytes, multiply uncontrollably. Your immune system, which aids in preventing infection, includes lymphocytes. In the lymphatic system, lymphocytes carry lymph as they circulate throughout your body. Lymph nodes are the glands distributed all over your body where the lymph fluid travels.
Therefore, Lymphoma may also be referred to as an immune system cancer.
Lymphoma cancer accounts for 4% of cancers worldwide.
Symptoms of Lymphoma
Almost every Cancer has the same symptoms- dizziness, lack of appetite, and lack of energy–but there are still some different symptoms that may aid you in seeking early consultation from the doctor—painless swelling of lymph nodes in your neck, armpits, or groin.
- Persistent fatigue
- Fever
- Night Sweats
- Shortness of breath
- Unexpected weight loss
- Itchy Skin
Symptoms of Lymphoma
Causes of Lymphoma
Researchers have yet to determine the main reasons why Lymphoma occurs. But it starts when a genetic mutation occurs in a lymphocyte, a type of white blood cell that fights infection. The mutation instructs the cell to divide quickly, producing many sick lymphocytes reproducing.
Additionally, the cells can continue to exist while other normal cells would have died because of the mutation. This causes the lymph nodes, spleen, and liver to enlarge, and an excessive number of sick and inefficient lymphocytes accumulate in the lymph nodes.
Who is susceptible to Lymphoma?
Although Cancer may happen to anyone, here are some risk factors to take note of:
- Your age: While some lymphoma kinds are more frequently diagnosed in people over 55, others are more commonly found in young adults.
- Your gender: Males are more likely than females to get Lymphoma.
- Having an impaired immune system: People with immune system disorders or those who take immunosuppressive medications are more likely to develop Lymphoma.
- Developing certain infections: The Epstein-Barr virus and Helicobacter pylori infection are linked to a higher risk of Lymphoma.
Types of Lymphoma
The signs and symptoms of Lymphoma vary depending on where the disease first appears, which body systems are affected, and the type of Lymphoma.
There are more than 60 distinct varieties, which are broadly divided into Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Depending on whether they are fast-growing (referred to as “hi “h-grade” o” “ag “ressive”) “or slow-growing (characterized as “lo”-grade” o” “in “olent”), “non-Hodgkin lymphomas are further divided into these categories.
Different lymphoma varieties exhibit other behaviours and require various therapies.
Treatment options for Lymphoma
Treatment of Lymphoma hugely depends upon the type of lymphoma cancer. Immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and Radiation Therapy are some treatments available for curing Lymphoma.
Always listen to your doctor while looking for ways of treatment for Cancer. Though Radiation therapy is the traditional method, for the last 15-20 years, Immunotherapy has also emerged as a treatment option.
Immunotherapy works on building your body’s structural defence mechanism system to suppress cancerous cells.
Immunotherapy may also be taken along with chemotherapy at the same time, depending upon the treatment which the doctor has prescribed. Since 90% of cases of Lymphoma are non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (low-grade), Immunotherapy is generally what doctors go to as it’s very slow in its growth. The treatment is preferred, as it has nearly zero side effects on the body.
Immunotherapy for Lymphoma
The many lymphoma treatment options differ depending on several criteria. Immunotherapy can benefit both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphomas, although the type of disease being treated can affect a patient’s particular course of treatment.
Immunotherapy for Lymphoma comes in a variety of forms. These are some examples:
- Monoclonal antibodies bind to proteins on the surface of cancerous cells and do their work. They can inhibit cell growth, assist the immune system in locating cancerous cells that need to be destroyed or cause cancerous cells to self-destruct. This was the first type of Immunotherapy developed for treating Lymphoma, and one such drug (rituximab) is now considered a primary treatment option for B-cell lymphomas.
- Checkpoint inhibitors: These work by assisting the body (immune system cells that destroy abnormal cells) in recognising and killing cancerous cells that would otherwise go undetected.
- Cellular Immunotherapy: This treatment works by genetically modifying a patient’s cells to help them recognise, target, and destroy cancerous cells more effectively. For example, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy trains a patient’s cells to identify specific proteins found in lymphoma cells (but not in healthy cells).
- Therapeutic cancer vaccines stimulate the immune system to attack tumour-specific antigen-carrying cells. Some treatments are given through the skin or intravenously (into a vein), while others are delivered directly to the tumour.
Cancer is hard to conquer, but practising healthy habits, being determined, and not giving up is how to beat this disease. Being informed and not stressing are some of the most important things to remember.