Lymphoma

What is Lymphoma?

Lymphoma begins in the lymph system, which is essentially the filtering or “housekeeping” system in the body. The lymph system is a network of vessels (tubes) which connect the lymph nodes. Lymph is a watery liquid which flows between the cells in the body, picking up foreign debris or bacteria and taking it into the lymph node for filtering. From the lymph node, the debris may travel through more nodes before being dumped into the bloodstream to be ultimately cleared by the liver.

• Lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell, are important in fighting infection and to create an immune response within the body.
• There are three types of lymphocytes:
  • B cells move through the bloodstream, producing proteins called antibodies. B cells start their lives in bone marrow and then develop fully in the lymph nodes.
  • T cells develop in the thymus gland and directly attack the cells identified by the B cells.
  • NK (or Natural Killer) cells are also part of the innate immune system and originate in the bone marrow.

Signs of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma include:

• The first sign of NHL is the swelling of one or more lymph nodes, but this symptom is easily ignored because the enlargement in many cases is painless.
• Some patients have systemic symptoms (referred to as “B symptoms”) including persistent fever, drenching night sweats, or weight loss.
• Other symptoms may include fatigue, itchy skin, and alcohol intolerance.

Symptoms of Hodgkin Disease include:

• Painless swelling of lymph nodes in your neck, armpits or groin
• Persistent fatigue
• Fever
• Night sweats
• Unexplained weight loss
• Severe itching
• Increased sensitivity to the effects of alcohol or pain in your lymph nodes after drinking alcohol.

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