Cancer is when normal body cells start dividing out-of-control. They start to take up nutrients and oxygen that other healthy cells need to survive at a faster rate, and begin to take over. Normally dividing cells can’t compete and this is how cancer kills. Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell involved in fighting infections and are part of the immune system. They circulate in the lymphatic system, which parallels the same pathways our veins take through our bodies. Because lymphoma affects the immune system, people who have it are weakened for fighting infections.

Early on lymphoma was referred to as “Hodgkin’s Disease,” named after Dr. Thomas Hodgkin in 1832. He was a British pathologist and at the time it was thought that there was only one kind of lymphoma, but there are over 35 sub-types. They are basically divided into Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma now.

Lymphoma accounts for about 5% of all cancers in North America. The Hodgkin’s type of lymphoma on its own makes up just under 1% of all cancers. Lymphoma is the most common type of blood cancer. Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs in 2 peaks: between the ages of 15 and 25, and then again after age 55. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma tends to happen more often as we age.

The difference between Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is found under the microscope. Symptoms and parts of the body affected are usually the same, but prognosis is better with Hodgkin’s. This means that you are more likely to survive and be cured of Hodgkin’s than non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The cause of lymphoma is not known but there are certain risk factors that contribute. Age is one of them. The older you are, the more likely you are to get lymphoma. Certain types of infections like HIV, hepatitis B or C, Epstein-Barr (causes Mononucleosis) and Helicobacter pylori (causes ulcers) seem to predispose a person to lymphoma. Auto-immune diseases can weaken the immune system and are also considered a risk factor. Lymphoma can run in families, and exposure to certain chemicals, like black hair dye, herbicides, and pesticides, seem to be linked as well.

Lymphoma symptoms include fever, chills, night sweats, itching, low energy, and weight loss. These are referred to as “constitutional symptoms,” and can happen in any type of cancer. People often notice a lump in their armpit or on their neck, due to enlarged lymph nodes. They can have abdominal pain because of an enlarged spleen. This is often when the diagnosis is made. A biopsy is done of the lump and blood tests are taken. Bone marrow samples may be gathered and imaging, like a CT-scan, is often done. The imaging helps to stage the lymphoma according to how many lymph nodes are affected and whether or nor the affected lymph nodes are found on one or both sides of the diaphragm, which is the muscle separating the lungs from the abdominal contents that is involved in breathing. Staging helps to determine “prognosis,” referring to how likely a person is to be cured and recover from the disease.

Treatment for lymphoma is molded to the stage of the lymphoma and can involved chemotherapy and radiation. There are new treatments being developed all of the time. Immunotherapy medications that work with the body’s natural immune system to fight the lymphoma are being used as well.

Today cancer is still a devastating diagnosis, but it is becoming less of a death sentence all of the time. There is lots of hope out there as good research is being done as you read this. Canada is one of the leading countries in cancer research and we can be very proud of this. Someday cancer will be history.