Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma Disease Overview

Conditions & Diseases: Cancers

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Introduction, Overview & Types

Non-Hodgkin’s disease, known as Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), is a form of cancer that affects the lymphatic system. Lymphoma can form solid tumors anywhere in the body and are felt as painless lumps. Non-Hodgkin’s disease causes the lymphatic system to abnormally produce an increased number of white blood cells (lymphocytes) which can then cause tumors to develop and grow. In addition to causing tumors to develop, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cells can also spread and affect other lymphatic system elements including: lymphatic vessels, tonsils, adenoids, spleen, thymus, and bone marrow.

The lymphatic system is made up of (1) lymphatic tissue like lymph nodes and lymph vessels, (2) related organs that are part of the body’s immune system such as spleen, bone marrow, tonsils, adenoids, and thymus, and (3) blood forming system.

(1) Lymph nodes are small organs with a bean-shape structure, located under the skin along the network of lymph vessels which are spread all over the body. They can be found in the neck, underarm, pelvis and groin area. Lymph nodes are responsible with producing and storing white cells called lymphocytes that help the body to fight against infections. These cells are carried by lymph (a colorless, watery fluid) through the lymph vessel. Lymph vessels are a wide spread network of tubes having a collector role, similar with blood vessels, where lymph is pick up from different areas of the body and returned into the bloodstream in the left upper chest.

(2) The spleen is a complex organ located in the left side of the upper abdomen near the stomach that produces lymphocytes, filters the blood, stores cells and destroys old blood cells. Bone marrow is a soft, spongy tissue located in the middle of large bones and produces new red and white cells including lymphocytes. Tonsils are two small masses of lymphatic tissue located in the back area of the throat about one inch above the uvula and produce lymphocytes. The adenoids are a single clump of lymphatic tissue located behind the nose. The role of these two lymphatic organs (tonsils and adenoids) is not clear yet, but they are considered responsible for dealing with certain types of infections, such as worms and other parasites. The thymus is a small organ in the chest behind the breastbone and produces a special type of lymphocytes called T cells.

(3) White blood cells follow a predictable life cycle in a normal health state. When old cells die, new ones are produced and the normal body’s balance of cells is kept. This cycle changes when Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma occurs and the body starts to produce abnormal white blood cells that continue to divide and grow, and an oversupply of lymphocytes inside a lymph node causes it to swell. Lymphocytes exist either in B cells (that produce plasma cells to fight against infection and neutralize foreign invaders) or in T cells (responsible for the killing process of foreign invaders), therefore 85% of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs in B cells and 15% in T cells.

Beside the different B cells and T cells cancer types, there are 30 other types of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The criteria used in classifying Non-Hodgkin’s disease are: microscopic appearance, cellular genetic changes, the cell size, the cells’ growth rate, staining pattern with specific antibody stains.

Types

The non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma classifications recognized by the International Lymphoma Study Group describes 4 types of lymphoma:

Indolent (slow to develop) lymphomas and lymphoid leukemias.
Moderately aggressive lymphomas and lymphoid leukemias.
Aggressive lymphomas.
Highly aggressive lymphomas and lymphoid leukemias

Although medical research of NHL has advanced, the true causes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma are not yet clear. Some scientists believe that this type of cancer is possibly caused by the activation of certain abnormal genes.

Article by Alina Morrow, MS
Medical Writer,
OmniMedicalSearch.com