Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is a group of blood cancers that includes all types of lymphoma except Hodgkin's lymphomas. Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever,night sweats, weight loss, and feeling tired. Other symptoms may include bone pain, chest pain, or itchiness. Some forms are slow growing while others are fast growing. Lymphomas are types of cancer that develops from lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.Risk factors include poor immune function, autoimmune diseases, Helicobacter pyloriinfection, hepatitis C, obesity, and Epstein-Barr virus infection.The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies lymphomas into five major groups, including one for Hodgkin's lymphoma. Within the four groups for NHL there are over 60 specific types of lymphoma. Diagnosis is by examination of a bone marrow or lymph node biopsy. Medical imagingis done to help with cancer staging.

Treatment depends of if the lymphoma is slow or fast growing and if it is in one area or many areas. Treatments may include chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, targeted therapy, stem cell transplantation, surgery, or watchful waiting. If the blood becomes overly thick due to antibodies, plasmapheresis may be used. Radiation and some chemotherapy; however, increase the risk of other cancers, heart disease, or nerve problems over the subsequent decades. In 2013 about 2.96 million people had non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 226,000 died. In the United States 2.1% of people are affected at some point in their life. The most common age of diagnosis is between 65 to 75 years old. The percentage of people who survive five years in the United States is 71%. Signs and symptoms Symptoms include enlarged lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, weight loss, and feeling tired. Other symptoms may include bone pain, chest pain, or itchiness. Some forms are slow growing while others are fast growing. Causes[edit] The many different forms of lymphoma probably have different causes. These possible causes and associations with at least some forms of NHL include the following: Infectious agents: Epstein-Barr virus: associated with Burkitt's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, follicular dendritic cell sarcoma, extranodal NK-T-cell lymphoma Human T-cell leukemia virus: associated with adult T-cell lymphoma Helicobacter pylori: associated with gastric lymphoma HHV-8: associated with primary effusion lymphoma, multicentric Castleman disease Hepatitis C virus: associated with splenic marginal zone lymphoma, lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma HIV infection Some chemicals, like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), diphenylhydantoin, dioxin, and phenoxy herbicides. Medical treatments, like radiation therapy and chemotherapy Genetic diseases, like Klinefelter's syndrome, Chédiak-Higashi syndrome, ataxia telangiectasia syndrome Autoimmune diseases, like Sjögren’s syndrome, celiac sprue, rheumatoid arthritis, and systemic lupus erythematosus.
HIV/AIDS[edit] The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) included certain types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma as AIDS-defining cancers in 1987.Immune suppression rather than HIV itself is implicated in the pathogenesis of this malignancy, with a clear correlation between the degree of immune suppression and the risk of developing NHL. Additionally, other retroviruses such as HTLV may be spread by the same mechanisms that spread HIV, leading to an increased rate of co-infection. The natural history of HIV infection has been greatly changed over time. As a consequence, the incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) in HIV infected patients has significantly declined in recent years.