Essay On Lymphoma

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LYMPHOMA
Introduction
Lymphoma refers to a blood cancer form that result from a faster than normal division of T or B lymphocytes; the condition also occurs when these cells live for a longer than the normal (Pace, Cassio & Glass, 2007). Organs in which the disease may develop include spleen, lymph nodes, bone marrow, alongside others. Ideally, this disease is a presentation of a lymphoid cells’ solid tumor. The disease’s treatment could entail chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and transplantation of bone marrow. Scientists state that the disease can be cured and that the cure depends on factors like its stage, histology, and type. Malignant cells have lymph nodes as their origin and resemble the node’s enlargement. There are also some extranodal sites of origin which include skin, bone, bowels, tonsils, and brain. There is close relationship between lymphomas and lymphoid leukemias whose sites of origin are also lymphocytes; however, the leukemias do not involve static tumors but bone marrows and circulating blood (Pace, Cassio & Glass, 2007).
Background
Lymphoma’s first description came in the year 1832, from Thomas Hodgkin, hence being named Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In the subsequent years, scientists made descriptions of other types of the disease thus various classifications of the same. A working formulation, of the year 1982 gained an immense deal of popularity as it came up with non-Hodgkin lymphoma category constituent of 16 diseases. Doctors are, however, abandoning the NHL label considering it to have limited usefulness because its 16 diseases have negligible similarity (Ansell, 2006). In the year 2008, the WHO came up with a later classification criteria constituent of 70 lymphoma types.

Biology of the Disease
Hodgkin lym...

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...observed in individuals of more than 60 years old. Lymphoma prevalence also varies with race; for example in the US, disease occurrence is higher among whites than Asian and African Americans (Gobbi et al, 2013).
Conclusion
Lymphoma is a form of cancer that affects the lymph systems with most cases of the disease occurring in developed countries. The disease is characteristic of various observable symptoms like enlargement of lymph nodes, weight loss, night sweats, and fever. Diagnosis of the disease makes use of tests like physical exams, X-rays, biopsy, and blood tests. Treatment makes use of targeted therapy, chemotherapy, biological therapy, radiation, and watchful development. Apart from the infection’s pathology, individuals may also experience other complications in life including suppression of the immune system, infertility, and transplant of stem cells.

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