10 facts about lymphoma

29 October, 2014 - 16:13 — Alicia Sanders

Lymphoma is one of the most common blood cancer types, yet recent polls show that the awareness about it is very low. Oncology specialists at Herzliya Medical Center have made a list of 10 most important facts about lymphoma that everyone should know.

1. Our lymphatic system is made of capillaries, connections and ties, which help the immune system fight infections by circulating lymphatic fluid and immune cells from the tissues to blood vessels and back. Lymphoma is a malignant disease during which the process of lymphatic cells division and renewal becomes uncontrollable.
2. Lymphoma accounts for 5% of all oncological diseases. That makes it the fifth most common malignancy in the world, after breast, lung, colon and skin cancers.
3. The exact reasons for lymphoma occurrence are currently unknown, but it is a fact that having a first-degree relative with lymphoma makes it twice as likely for you do get it.
4. The risk of lymphoma rises with age. For example, a 70 years old patient is 7 times more like to get lymphoma than the average.
5. The first and most obvious sign of lymphoma is enlargement and swollenness of the lymph nodes in different parts of the body: armpits, groin, neck. These are hard to miss and it’s important to contact you GP if you notice suspicious swollenness.
6. Additional lymphoma symptoms resemble those of a common cold or flew: fever, sweating, fatigue and weight loss. If the symptoms persists for longer than a few days – contact your GP.
7. People with weak immune system are at greater risk of getting lymphoma that others. It is important to pay attention to possible symptoms and not delay medical consult if needed.
8. There are two main types of lymphoma: slow low-malignancy lymphoma, which may develop over several years, and aggressive high-malignancy lymphoma, which develops over a period of several month and might be lethal. Oddly enough, it’s the aggressive type that can be cured, while the slow lymphoma’s progress can only be delayed.
9. When treating aggressive lymphoma doctors usually start with immediate chemotherapy, combined with biological therapy. This protocol allows to reach remission in 2/3 of the patients, suffering from the most common aggressive lymphoma type.
10. Slow lymphoma requires medical attention only when the patient’s health state worsens and there is risk of internal organs damage. Currently, there are no treatments allowing full remission, but several biological and targeted treatments to delay the progress of the disease have been developed recently.

Our oncologists are leading Israeli specialists with vast experience in treating all oncological illnesses. If you or someone close to you are experiencing any of the abovementioned symptoms – don’t procrastinate and contact us now!
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