is lymphoma cancer curable | Lymphoma, a blood cancer difficult to diagnose

Lymphoma, a blood cancer difficult to diagnose

What is the lymphatic system?
The lymphatic system is a network of vessels and ganglia that extends throughout the body. It is the origin of lymphocytes or white blood cells, key cells of our immune defense system. This system protects the body from diseases and infections.

The lymph vessels drain a liquid called the lymph that carries the lymphocytes and it is in the lymph nodes in particular that are extracted viruses, bacteria and other foreign substances. So for example in a cold, you can feel swollen lymph nodes at the throat level, reflecting their work against infection.

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Lymphoma Lymphocytes
Sometimes abnormal lymphocytes are produced.

These can then accumulate and form tumors. By using the lymphatic network, these tumors are likely to settle in any part of the body.

The other major problem with this cancer is the lack of specificity of its symptoms, which is in disfavor of an early diagnosis, essential to improve the management.

The most common sign is the detection of swollen, sometimes painful lymph nodes, often at the neck or armpit level. But the symptoms depend very much on the location of the ganglion reached. Thus, at the groin level, lymphoma can be manifested by heavy legs and swollen ankles. Abdominal discomfort, bloating, or even lumbar pain.

The Association France lymphoma Hope specifies that other general symptoms are frequently reported, including shivering, fever, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, fatigue and itching.

Since none of them are specific, the signal that a consultation is necessary is their persistence and the fact that they are unexplained.

Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin lymphomas?
There are very many types of lymphomas, but there are classically two broad categories:

Hodgkin's disease,
Non-Hodgkin lymphomas, i.e. this latter category accounts for 90% of lymphoma cases.
Also know
Lymphoma can affect everyone at any age and the exact causes are unknown.
This type of cancer is in sharp progression: its frequency has almost doubled in 20 years. More than 18,000 new cases are recorded each year in France, almost twice as many as leukemias.
Lymphoma is the most common cancer in adolescents and 5th in adults in developed countries.