Lymphoma

Lymphoma General Information

The medical term Lymphoma defines a group of solid hematological neoplasm originating in the white blood cells. This type of neoplasm is solid, as opposite to the malignancy of circulating blood cells (known under the medical name of lymphoid leukemia).

The first type of such neoplasm that has been studied bears the name of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, after the scientist that has first described it in 1832. This was among the first forms of cancer that has been cured by radiation therapy, and later on it was also one of the first that has been cured with the use of combination chemotherapy. If the disease is detected in its early stages, it can be cured in 90% of the cases. However, the death rate in patients affected by this condition is of up to 25%. Never the less, the high chance of success for curative procedures, as well as the high rate of 5 year survival rate in affected patients are much higher than many of he other forms of cancer, and up to this day it is one of the most curable types of cancers.

Lymphoma Symptoms

There are multiple symptoms associated with the presence of Lymphoma in the organism. Some patients may present variations of these symptoms, or may present altogether different ones, sometimes unique to that particular case. This is due to the different way that each organism reacts to the disease, and because many of the symptoms may be similar to those caused by other affections it is highly recommended that you contact your personal health care specialist in order to further analyze the symptoms and to place the correct diagnosis.

Many of the patients affected by this condition present enlarged lymph nodes, most commonly those in the supraclavicular and cervical areas, or those in the chest area. In 30% of the cases, the patient also presents an enlarged spleen; in most cases, the size of the spleen is not much larger than normal, and it may vary during the treatment. In rare cases, the patient may also present an enlargement of the liver as well, and it is possible for the enlargement of both organs to be present simultaneously.

Although generally pain is not present in cases of Lymphoma, it may appear after the patient consumes alcohol. This is not a very common occurrence. It may also appear as a nonspecific back pain, as it has been noted in some cases. Systemic symptoms may also accompany the presence of Lymphomas in the organism. Such symptoms as night sweats, fever, weight loss, fatigue and pruritus have been noted to be common in cases where the disease has evolved into the next stage.

Lymphoma Treatment

In the early stages of the disease, most of the Lymphoma cases are treated with good results (over 90% cure rate) by using either chemotherapy or radiation therapy, based on the patient’s age, medical history and general health condition, but also based on personal preference as well as on the consulting physician’s advice. In later stages, radiation therapy is no longer employed and the patients only undergo chemotherapy. However, if the patient presents a large mass in the chest radiation therapy is employed in any stage.

There are two main types of chemotherapy that the patient may undergo in an attempt to cure the Lymphoma or to relieve the symptoms and prolong the life expectancy. The first one is a treatment based on Adriamycin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine and Dacarbazine (the treatment name is actually composed of the abbreviation for the drugs – ABVD chemotherapy regimen), and it was developed in the 1970s in Italy. The drugs are administered over a period of 6 to 8 months (longer in more complex situations), and the therapy is typically sufficient to cure patients in early stages of the disease. A variation of this treatment that has been employed recently, the Stanford V regimen, also includes radiation therapy as well as a more intensive chemotherapy program, but the results have shown that this procedure is slightly inferior in curing the Lymphoma to the original ABDV therapy.

The second type of chemotherapy that is employed particularly in Europe for more advanced stages of the affection is the BEACOPP therapy (based on Bleomycin, Etoposide, Adriamycin, Cyclophosphamide, Oncovin/Vincristine, Procarbazine and Prednisone). The success rate for this therapy is up to 15% higher than that of the ABVD treatment, however many studies show that the BEACOPP regimen may cause secondary leukemia much more frequently than the ABVD therapy. Also, the BEACOPP regimen also requires concurrent treatments to support and increase the white blood cell production within the patient’s organism, which leads to a higher cost than that of the ABVD therapy. However, many specialists agree that the higher risks and increased costs are outweighed by far by the increase rate of success of the therapy.

Due to the high cure rates and the increase in the life expectancy of the patients the research is currently oriented towards lowering the risks of both short and long term adverse effects of the therapies. These include cardiovascular disease, but also concern secondary malignancy. So far, acute leukemia, solid tumors and secondary Lymphoma have been noted in patients that had undergone such therapies. Current therapies aim at reducing chemotherapy and field radiation therapy duration, as well as the dosage and radiation volume the patient is exposed to. The goal that today’s scientists are seeking is to preserve the high cure rates of the original treatments, while reducing mortality and morbidity rates. In most cases, the radiation exposure is reduced to a minimum, while in cases where the Lymphoma responds quickly to chemotherapy radiation therapy is altogether avoided.

Like in the case of most other medical conditions, early diagnosis and early therapy are very important. If the patient granted medical support during the first stages of the affection, the chances of recovery are much greater and at the same time, the risks of complications and secondary affections are drastically decreased.