Adult Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and How it Affects Lymphedema

Adult Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas:

Often originating like balls in lymph nodes, the many types of hemotological neoplasm diseases, known as lymphomas, affect bone marrow, lymph nodes, and the blood. These cancers, closely related to Lymphoid Lukemias, that invade blood circulation and bone marrow but are not typically static tumors, may be indolent, grow and spread slowly, producing few symptoms, or they can be very aggressive, spread rapidly, and contain severe symptoms that can produce Diffuse Noncleaved-Cell Lymphoma, Lymphoblastic Lymphoma, or Mantle Cell Lymphoma, three of the severest forms of the disease.

Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas may also be contiguous, in which the lymph nodes containing the cancer are next to one another, or they may be non-continguous, where lymph nodes containing the cancer are on the same side of the diaphragm, but not necessarily close to each other.

Lymphatic System:

Part of the immune system, the lymphatic system includes lymph fluid that carries white blood cells, known as lymphocytes, that protect against tumors and infections, lymph vessels that collect lymph fluid from different body parts and returns it back to the bloodstream, lymph nodes that filter lymph fluid and store lymphocytes, the spleen that produces lymphocytes, filters blood, stores blood cells, and destroys old blood cells, the thymus where lymphocytes grow and multiply, the tonsils that produce lymphocytes, and bone marrow that produces red blood cells, lymphocytes, and blood platelets that help wounds heal and prevent blood clots known as thrombocytes.

How Lymphomas Spread:

Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas spread through the cancer invading tissues, blood veins, capillaries, the lymphatic system, and lymph vessels. When primary cancer cells break away from the tumor they can create secondary tumors in other locations throughout the body.

Side Effects:

The side effects of Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas may be skin rashes, extreme tiredness, unexplained fevers or weight losses, heavy night sweats, painless lymph node swelling in the stomach, underarm, groin, or neck, and unexplained pains in bones, the chest, or the abdomen.

Risk Factors:

Risk factors for Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas may include anything that increases the patient's chances for contracting the disease such as being an older white male or consuming diets high in meats and fats. Other risk factors may include past treatments for Hodgkin Lymphoma, inherited immune disorders, like Hypogammaglobulinemia, characterized by reductions in gamma globulin proteins in the blood, taking immunosuppressent drugs after organ transplants, developing an autoimmune disease like Rheumatoid Arthritis, contracting AIDS, a history of Helicobaster Pytori infections caused by bacteria that creates inflammations and ulcers in the stomach or small intestine, or developing T Cell lymphotropic viruses, like Epstein Barr, that cause infectious mononucleosis, Burkitt Lymphoma, Nasopheryngeal Carcinoma, and Immunoblastic Lymphoma.

Indolent Lymphomas:

Indolent lymphomas, even without treatments, can result in long life expectancies for patients who have them. Most aggressive lymphomas respond well to treatments, and may be curable, depending on the correct B Cell, T Cell, or NK Cell lineage classification of the disease.

Thymus:

Located in the upper anterior part of the chest cavity, the thymus organ provides Thymus Lymphocyte maturation vital in protecting against autoimmunity failures of organisms to recognize their own parts, and prevents immune responses against cells and tissues caused by these failures.

Thymus Cells:

All Thymus cells originate from hemotopietic stem cells in bone marrow that populate the thymus, expand by cell division to form large populations of thymocytes, and belong to groups of lymphocytes. T Cells are key elements in cell-mediated immunity, and are responsible for helping the CD4 protein, and other leukocytes, in immunological processes. Examples of Thymus Cells are Cytoxic T Cells that destroy tumor cells, Regulatory T Cells that maintain immunological tolerance, and Memory T Cells that persist after infections helping fight recurrence of those infections.

B Cells:

Essential component parts of the adaptive immune system Antigen Presenting B Cells develop antibiotics used by the body to fight infections.

NK T Cells:

Natural Killer T Cells are lymphocytes that bridge the adaptive immune system, defending the body against infections, and the innate immune system, recognizing and eliminating some tumor cells.

Stage One:

Stage One Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are located in one or more lymph nodes in one group while Stage IE Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are found outside the lymph nodes in one organ.

Stage Two:

Stage Two Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas can be found in two or more lymph node groups above or below the diaphragm that separates the abdomen from the chest and helps with breathing. Stage IIE Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are found in one or more lymph node groups above or below the diaphragm and in a nearby organ.

Stage Three:

Stage Three Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are in one or more lymph node groups above and below the diaphragm. Stage IIIE Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are located in lymph node groups above and below the diaphragm and in a nearby organ. Stage IIIS Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are found in lymph node groups above and below the diaphragm and in the spleen. Stage IIIS+E Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are in lymph node groups above and below the diaphragm, in a nearby organ, and in the spleen.

Stage Four:

Stage Four Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are located outside lymph nodes throughout one or more organs, or may have have spread far away from that organ, or are in the bone marrow, lungs, and liver.

Examinations:

Physical examinations, and medical histories, that check for general health signs, diseases, lumps, health habits, past illnesses, and past medical treatments may be used to diagnose Non-Hodgkin lymphomas. Complete blood counts may be taken for the number of platelets, red blood cells, hemoglobins, and lymphocytes that are present. Blood Chemistry Studies that measure how many of certain substances organs and tissues release into the blood, along with incisional lymph node biopsies for removal of part of affected lymph nodes, core biopsies for wide needle removal of part of a lymph node, and excisional biopsies that remove complete lymph nodes, may also be performed. Bone marrow aspirations of the hip bone or breast bone, and Liver Function Tests for how much of certain substances, such as Lactate Dehydrogenase Enzymes, that check for tissue damage, and help determine prognosis of the disease, the liver releases into the blood of the patient may also be taken to help diagnose Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas.

Prognosis:

Key factors that help determine the prognosis for patients with Adult Non-Hodgkin lymphomas may include such things as the type of lymphoma the patient has, the age and health of the patient, whether the lymphoma has just been diagnosed or is recurring, the extent of the cancer in the body based on the size of the tumor, the number of cancerous lymph nodes present, how the cancer has spread from the site of origin to other body parts, and the level of LDH in the patient's blood system.

Pregnant Women:

When found in pregnant women Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are more aggressive, and immediate treatment options are recommended to increase the Mother-to-Be's chances of survival, regardless of which trimester she may be in. Staging Tests to help protect the fetus from radiation harm may include MRIs, bone marrow aspirations, biopsies, lumbar punctures, and ultrasounds.

Previously: Lymphangiosarcomas And How They Affect Lymphedema.

Next Time: What The Lymphatic System Does