Lymphoma is a form of blood cancer that targets the immune system. There are two main types of lymphoma: Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s. Lymphoma is a relatively common type of cancer; there were more than 81,000 new cases of lymphoma diagnosed in the United States in 2016 alone. Let’s take a closer look at some of the key facts about lymphoma:

• Luckily, in many cases, lymphoma is a relatively curable type of cancer, with the survival rate nearly doubling for both types since the 1960’s. Having said that, many people sadly still die annually from the disease, but it does not claim nearly as many lives as some other forms of cancer.
• Blood cancers account for more than 10% of all new cancer cases.
• Every 3 minutes an American is diagnosed with some type of blood cancer (lymphoma, myeloma or leukemia).
• B-cell and T-cell malignant growths are associated with non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• One of the most defining symptoms of lymphoma is painless swelling of the lymph nodes (such as those in the neck or armpits) that doesn’t go away.
• Other symptoms may include: sweating (particularly night sweats), weight loss, fatigue, chills, general itching or swelling in random parts of the body.
• Lymphoma is often mistaken for a nagging cold until the symptoms linger for weeks or months.
• Lymphoma is associated specifically with a sub-type of white blood cells called lymphocytes.
• There are 5 stages of lymphoma, 1 being cancer that is localized to the lymph nodes only, and stage 5 is widespread cancer that has migrated throughout the body.
• Diagnostic tests for lymphoma may include: a subcutaneous tissue biopsy, platelet and white blood cell lab tests, an MRI, PET scans or x-rays. If your doctor suspects lymphoma he or she will likely perform a combination of these tests to confirm lymphoma or rule it out.

That concludes our look at lymphoma. Thanks for visiting DocChat! We hope you return again soon.