Doctors do not know what causes Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system that 54,000 Americans are diagnosed with annually. What they do know is that Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cases are on the rise, more than doubled since thirty years ago. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is seven to eight times more prevalent than Hodgkin’s disease, and there are more than thirty variations of the ailment. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma sees tumors develop from affected white blood cells, at various places in the body. The survival rate of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma depends on how quickly it is diagnosed, with a number of treatment options available and recent innovations increasing the odds.
In a normal person, their old white blood cells, or lymphocytes, die and are replaced by new ones; with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, abnormal white blood cells are manufactured in the body, and they continue to multiply. They overwhelm the lymph nodes and cause swelling and tumors. White blood cells are divided into two types- B cells that produce plasma cells that then make antibodies to battle foreign substances, and T cells that fight these foreign bodies themselves. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs in the B cells the vast majority of the time, almost eighty-five percent. Once in the lymph nodes, the illness can then spread to other parts of the lymphatic system, places like the tonsils, adenoids, spleen, thymus, and the bone marrow.
Older people are more likely to fall ill with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but it can strike at any age. Often, the lone sign of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma early on is swollen lymph glands in the neck, groin, or armpit, but they will be painless and not attract much attention at first. Other symptoms can include a fever, tiredness, loss of weight, pain in the abdomen, and night sweats. These symptoms should trigger a red flag in someone experiencing them, especially the swollen glands, and a trip to the doctor should take place as soon as possible. Your physician will run a battery of tests, including blood and urine tests to rule other maladies. CT scans and X-rays may help detect tumors that have grown from the white blood cells, and a more recent procedure called a positron emission tomography, where a minute amount of radioactive tracer is injected into the body, is able to identify tumors. A biopsy of the lymph nodes can be done, and also let the doctors know if the Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a slow moving kind or an aggressive type. Bone marrow biopsies will let them know if the disease has spread to other parts and systems of the body.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is categorized by stages, depending on where the abnormal cells are located and where they have spread to. Stage I is when the lymphoma cells are in just one lymph node or in part of an organ or some tissue. Stage II means that the lymphoma cells are in at least two nodes on the same side the diaphragm, which is the muscle that separates the heart and lungs from the abdominal cavity. Stage II can also see the cells in an organ and the lymph nodes in the vicinity of that organ, on the same side of the diaphragm. Lymphoma above and below the diaphragm, or in organs and tissues near those nodes, describes Stage III. Lymphoma that permeates at least one organ or tissue, or is involving the liver, blood, or bone marrow is Stage IV Non-Hodgkin’s disease.
How advanced the Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is will determine the treatment for it. Chemotherapy will combine different drugs, oral and injectables, to fight rapidly growing cancer cells. Chemo is employed when the disease is moving quickly through the body. Radiation can be used to kill cancerous cells and diminish tumors, and is an option early on in the slower moving cancers. A drug called Rituximab helps the body’s immune system go after and eradicate cancer cells, and newly developed drugs combined with radioactive isotopes are used as a last resort in severe cases. Bone marrow transplants are also a resource against Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in some cases. The prognosis for survival or a complete recovery depends on many factors, with early detection always a plus. Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester was diagnosed with a form of Non-Hodgkin’s disease this past summer and is expected to make a full recovery, as did actor Gene Wilder in the year 2000.
