When we talk about “Lymphoma,” we refer to the term used in medicine to define a group of cancer cells that develop in the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system plays a vital role in the human body, as it helps to fight several diseases, viruses and infections. As stated in a report by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, in 2013, at least 54 percent of blood cancers occurring each year is a type of lymphoma. Within those types, there is the non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, which is a type of cancer that origins in the white blood cells, (or lymphocytes) which are part of the human body’s immune system. The cancer cells start growing and spreading quickly and in an uncontrolled way, affecting the person’s lymphatic system. The accumulation of cancer cells in the lymphatic system leads to the development of tumor masses.
There are two types of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (indolent or aggressive growth), each one of them have a different kind of treatment, symptoms, and diagnosis. The indolent non-Hodgkin Lymphoma spreads slowly, and its symptoms are just a few. The aggressive non-Hodgkin Lymphoma is more dangerous as it spreads quickly and its symptoms are more severe than the indolent non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. In that sense, the American Cancer Society summarizes several types of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, each one with different treatments and diagnosis, based on the classification by the World Health Organization.
It is essential to take into consideration that the non-Hodgkin Lymphoma develops, most of the time, in the lymph nodes found in organs such as the intestines, the stomach or even in the skin. However, the lymphoma may develop in several parts of the human body at the same time. It should also be acknowledged that there are certain risk factors when it comes to non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, according to the National Cancer Institute, which is: being an older person, male or white, having an inherited immune disorder, an autoimmune disease, HIV/AIDS, the Epstein-Barr virus infection, or taking immunosuppressant drugs right after an organ transplant.
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/about/what-is-non-hodgkin-lymphoma.html
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