Everything you need to know about Lymphoma

The lymph system is a series of lymph nodes and vessels that move the lymph fluid through the body. These fluids contain infection-fighting white blood cells. Lymph nodes capture and destroy bacteria and viruses thereby acting as filters and prevent infection from spreading in the body.

While the lymph system typically protects your body, lymphocytes can become cancerous. Cancer that occurs in the lymph system is called ‘lymphoma.’

Oncologists classify more than 70 cancer types as lymphomas. They can affect any part of the lymphatic system including:

• Bone marrow

• Spleen

• Thymus

• Lymph nodes

• tonsils

Types of lymphoma:

Usually, lymphoma is of two categories:

• Hodgkin’s lymphoma

• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL)

Stages of Lymphoma:

Both NHL and Hodgkin’s lymphoma are classified into four stages. The stages are differentiated based on the intensity (how far) and location (where it is spread?) of the cancer cells.

Stage 1: The disease is within the lymph node itself, and it is not very aggressive.

Stage 2: In this stage also, cancer has not spread across the body as same in stage 1, but the cancer cells are in two lymph nodes near to one another and it is on one side of the body.

Stage 3: In this stage, cancer has spread to lymph nodes on both sides of the body

Stage 4: In this stage, cancer has spread to other parts of the body. This is called metastasis. The most common areas where NHL spread includes the liver, lungs and bone marrow.

Symptoms:

The symptoms may not always occur in the early stages of Lymphoma. The doctor may find the enlarged lymph nodes during a physical examination. One can feel the lymph nodes in:

• Neck

• Stomach

• Upper chest

• Armpit

• Groin

Many of the symptoms of lymphoma are not specific. It varies according to the location and intensity of the spread. It includes:

• Fatigue

• Enlarged spleen

• Night Sweats

• Bone pain

• Fever

• Stomach pain

• Shortness of breath

• Skin itching

• Unexpected weight loss

The symptoms of lymphoma are easily overlooked. It is difficult to detect and diagnose it at an early stage.

Treatments:

Oncologists create a treatment plan based on the cancer stages. For example, the tumor is limited within the lymph nodes in Stage 1 whereas it has spread to other organs in Stage 4. Oncologists will grade the tumor cells by considering the following things:

• low-grade or indolent

• intermediate-grade or aggressive

• high-grade or highly aggressive

The cancer treatment modality varies based on the analysis, and there are three viable options on which the cancer specialists chose the one that suits the patient’s condition.

Radiotherapy:

It is commonly used as a treatment for many cancer types. It uses high-energy X-rays or particles to destroy the cancer cells. In detail, it will damage DNA inside the tumor cells with the help of X-rays, and it prevents them from reproducing within the body.

Chemotherapy:

It is often used as a method to slow down the progression of cancer cells in the body.

In this process, chemicals are used to treat cancer cells. Sometimes, chemotherapy can be a supportive treatment for radiation therapy or surgery.

Surgery:

Bone marrow or stem cell transplant is used to enhance immune system cells and make it healthy. Doctors may transplant these cells or tissues before beginning chemotherapy and radiation treatments. The donor of the bone marrow may be your relatives or someone from your close circle.

What are the causes of lymphoma?

Lymphoma is the result of uncontrolled cell growth starting from lymph nodes to spreading across all over the body. Usually, the average lifespan of cancer cells is brief, and these cells die. However, in lymphoma, the cancer cells thrive and spread across the body instead of dying. It’s unclear what causes lymphoma, but some risk factors are connected with these cancers.

By providing comprehensive cancer care, modern diagnostic services, and holistic treatment, Cytecare hospital is one of the best oncology hospitals in Bangalore. The team has best cancer specialists in Bangalore, who understands and develop the treatment plan for individuals based on the level of cancer affected to them. The well-experienced team practices the researched cancer care methodologies which in turn provides best cancer care to the lymphoma affected individuals. All these features, Cytecare is one of the leading providers of the best treatment for lymphoma in India.

Cytecare - Cancer Hospital in Bangalore, ensures best Cancer care from globally renowned Oncologists with expert knowledge in Organ site focused Cancer treatment in India.