Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system. The lymph nodes are found in various places around the body. There are multiple areas of the lymphatic system that can become cancerous. The area of the lymphatic system that is primarily affected will determine to a great extent, both the treatment and survival rate are determined by where in the body the cancerous cells are located and if they will be able to spread to other areas of the body.
The lymph nodes, lymphocyte cells, spleen, tonsils and adenoids and the bone marrow of the long bones and thymus all make up the lymphatic system
Other cancers can also start within the lymph nodes such as breast cancer. However breast cancer symptoms are not the same as lymphoma blood cancers.
Lymphoma is the most common of blood cancers and it affects just about 56% of the patients with blood cancer. Because lymphoma and leukemia are both blood cancers, many people think they are one in the same disease. They are not.
In 1832 Thomas Hodgkin’s discovered the lymphoma blood disease and this is how the disease became known as Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Lymphoma begins when lymphocytes, which are white blood cells, begin to multiply due to malignant changes within the lymph nodes and other areas of the body. When they start to increase to very large numbers they begin pushing out the healthy cells..
Lymphoma can originate in the blood and bone marrow as well as the lymph nodes or lymphatic tissues, which are present in the stomach or intestines. From the bone marrow it can spread to many other parts of the body. While it is true that leukemia can spread from the bone marrow to the blood and lymph nodes, lymphoma is very different from leukemia. Lymphoma is the sixth most common cancer in men and the fifth most prevalent caner among women in the US.
There are two major types of Leukemia: myelogenous and lymphocytic. There are acute and chronic forms of each of these types. Although a great deal of information can be found both on-line and offline about lymphoma, it is always best to seek out medical care if you have any suspicious symptoms. Sadly, there are many different types of cancers. There are several types that affect the blood. Blood cancers that in the bone marrow are not to be confused with bone cancer.
It is always best for anyone that may suspect they have some type of health issues, regardless of the type, to discuss it with their doctor.