Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment
What is Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma? The lymph nodes, thymus, spleen, and other parts of the lymphatic system produce white blood cells. These cells fight against foreign invaders, especially parasites in the body. In non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, certain white blood cells called lymphocytes grow abnormally, accumulate and form tumors. Lymphoma occurs either with B cells or T cells. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma predominantly happens with B cells. In addition, old lymphocytes are supposed to die. This creates space for the new lymphocytes. However, this is not the case in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The body continues to synthesize new lymphocytes, leading to the build-up of new and old lymphocytes in the lymph nodes. This causes swelling of the lymph nodes. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can spread around the body and other organs such as the spleen, bone marrow, lungs, skin, strain, stomach, and liver.
What is the Difference Between Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma?
Reed-Sternberg cells are present in Hodgkin’s lymphoma but absent in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Reed-Stenberg cells are large visible cells that have many nuclei. A pathologist can confirm that an individual has Hodgkin’s lymphoma by examining the lymph node tissue in the biopsy sample under a microscope to detect Reed-Sternberg cells.
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is easier to treat than non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma because Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs predictably in the upper parts of the body, such as the chest or neck. Hence, treatment is tailored to target those areas. In contrast, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs in any part of the body, making it unpredictable and quite difficult to treat.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma may arise in lymph nodes anywhere in the body. In contrast, Hodgkin’s lymphoma begins in the upper body, such as the neck, chest, or armpits. Hodgkin’s lymphoma progresses in a more predictable way than non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, making it easier to recognize and treat.
Causes of non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
1. Immunosuppressive Therapy
Immunosuppressive medications taken after an organ transplant increase the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Other medications that could cause this cancerous disease include:
● nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
● histamine-2-receptor antagonist
2. Infections
Infections increase the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. They include:
● Viral infections such as hepatitis C, HIV, and Epstein-Barr infection
● Bacterial infections such as Helicobacter pylori,
● Parasitic infections, such as Plasmodium falciparum
3. Pesticides and Herbicides
Glyphosate herbicides are commonly used to kill weeds. They are associated with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Farmers are exposed to potentially cancer-causing chemicals such as these. Organophosphate pesticides such as chlorophenol and phenoxy acetic acid, fungicides and organophosphate insecticides increase the risk of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in farmers by 41%.
4. Old Age
People aged 60 years and above are at risk of developing non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma because the disease is prevalent among the elderly than in children and adults.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma?
Signs and symptoms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma include:
● Persistent cough
● Difficulty in breathing
● Weight loss
● Swelling in the lymph nodes of the armpit, neck
● Fever
● Painful abdominal swelling
● Night sweats
Is non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma a Curable Cancer?
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can be treated at early stages and sometimes at advanced stages. The World Health Organization considers 60 types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma to be curable. The treatment options for this disease include:
1. Chemotherapy
This involves the use of anti-cancer drugs to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A common chemotherapy treatment includes cyclophosphamide, hydroxy daunorubicin, Oncovin, and prednisone (Chop). Chemotherapeutic drugs are given intravenously or orally.
2. Radiation Therapy
This involves the use of radiation to treat aggressive non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. A machine produces this beam of energy and focused on the cancerous cells to destroy them. This is carefully done to avoid killing healthy cells. A doctor is in the best position to monitor this process.
3. Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy involves stimulating the immune system to disrupt the growth of cancerous cells and restore a healthy immune system. Drugs such as thalidomide and lenalidomide are taken daily to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
4. Targeted Drug Therapy
This process uses specific cancer drugs to target and destroy cancer cells. They do this by blocking the gene responsible for cell division, stopping enzyme complexes, or destroying proteins that help the growth of cancer cells. These drugs include Bortezomib, Belinostat, Ibrutinib, Zanubrutinib, and many others.
5. Chemotherapy and Stem Cell Transplant
This process is performed when non-Hodgkin lymphoma relapses. The patient’s stem cells are collected from the bloodstream of the bone marrow and frozen. This takes place two to three weeks before chemotherapy. Next, the whole body is subjected to a high dose of chemotherapy and sometimes radiation. This destroys the cancerous cells and some healthy cells. The stored stem cells are given to the patent intravenously. These stem cells grow into healthy red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets needed by the body.
6. Surgery for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
A surgery is often used for:
● Lymph node biopsy- A surgery is used to remove a lymph node for testing and viewing under a microscope.
● It is used to take out a tumor from the stomach (debulking)
● Laparoscopic Splenectomy- when the spleen has a lymphoma, it is removed with a surgery called laparoscopic splenectomy.
The lymphatic system is an important part of our immune system. It plays a role in fighting bacteria and other infections. And it tries to destroy old or abnormal cells, such as cancer cells.
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