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Dr. Lane Lester

I hope you find this article about lymphoma both interesting and helpful.

For the past 50 years, cases of lymphoma have been slowly increasing in developed countries like Europe, North America and Australia. Although the disease affects people of all ages, incidents of lymphoma are higher in men and than in women. Studies also noted that lymphoma is more common in older people than in the younger people. It is often very difficult for people to accept the fact that they have lymphoma. The usual reaction of patients and their family is denial of the their condition. However, the sad truth about all disease is that it would go away simply because we do not acknowledge its presence. Cancer is something that won't go away simply because you ignore its existence. In the case of people with lymphoma, it is a must that you should understand what is going on in your body and be prepared for any eventualities.

There are many things that could happen to people with lymphoma, as this type of cell abnormality is rather mobile compared to other types of cancers. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that attacks the lymphocytes. The lymphocytes are defined by medical science as any of the nearly colorless cells found in the blood, lymph, and lymphoid tissues, constituting approximately 25 percent of white blood cells and including B cells, which function in humoral immunity, and T cells, which function in cellular immunity.

Lymphoma, like all types of cancers, results in abnormally cell division. Abnormal lymphocytes usually collect in the lymph nodes making this lymph nodes swell. The swollen lymph nodes are usually found in the neck area just above the diaphragm. In the early stages of the disease, the swelling may be confined in only one side of the neck but when the lymphoma progress, both sides of the neck could be affected. Lymphoma is not only confined in the neck area but also in almost all parts of the body. The other common place where lymphoma usually starts is the chest area. Unlike those swollen lymph nodes in the neck, swollen lymph nodes found in the chest area are more difficult to find. External inspection would usually not reveal the swelling so you will need to conduct a X-ray to find the swollen lymph nodes in the chest area. However, swollen lymph nodes does not necessarily mean you have lymphoma as there are other forms of diseases that lead to the swelling of lymph nodes.

There are many types of lymphomas, however, the most popular classification is Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is named after Thomas Hodgkin who discovered the type of cancer in 1832, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which catches all other types of lymphoma. Since lymphoma attacks the lymphocytes, aside form the lymph nodes; the abnormal lymphocytes have access to different parts of the human body. This makes the disease systemic and affects the entire body of the patient. The spleen and the bone marrow are the favorite spots where abnormal lymphocytes would gather and form lymphoma outside of the lymph nodes. However, there are some people who would develop lymphoma in the liver, the stomach and is very rare cases, in the brain.

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