Types of Lymphomas
Lymphomas need to be classified as an exact type before they can be treated with any success however this isn't always easy as there are a large number of different types that differ only slightly in their form. Cancerous lymphocyte cells can take on a number of shapes and sizes and each shape and size is classified as a different subtype of the disease. They may also have different mutations of the DNA o they may develop from different type of normal cell. In all there are more than 8 types of lymphoma cancer with over 30 known subtypes and more are being discovered as research methods advance.
Generally lymphoma is classified as being either Hodgkin's lymphoma or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the difference being the presence of a specific cell type within the primary cancerous region of Hodgkin's lymphoma patients.
Hodgkin's lymphoma was first described by Thomas Hodgkin in the 1830s and is the rarer of the two forms of the cancer. Its development it thought to be associated with the presence of the Epstein-Barr virus which lays dormant in many people but rarely becomes an active infection. If it does and the patient suffers with the virus, they then may have an increased chance of developing Hodgkin's lymphoma. In general many cases of Hodgkin's lymphoma begin in a single lymph gland and from here it spreads in an orderly fashion to other lymph glands and nearby tissues. Hodgkin's lymphoma can affect any age group and either gender however individuals that are between 15-35 and those over the age of 55 are thought to be at increased risk. Why this is so remains a mystery for now.
A diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma means that the patient has one of 30 subtypes and so further diagnostic tests are normally carried out in order to clarify exactly what type of lymphoma is present. There are a number of classification systems that are used to describe cancers however each case will be ultimately classified as either:
- Fast (aggressive) or slow (non-aggressive) with regards to the rate at which it is growing.
- Affecting the B-cells or alternatively the T-cells of the immune system.
As with Hodgkin's lymphoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma does not seem to favour one age group or gender however there are a number of risk factors that can increase the chances of an individual developing the disease. These include chronic obesity, the presence of AIDS or any other immunosuppressant condition, the Hepatitis C virus and again the Epstein-Barr virus.
Doctors and specialists have a variety of ways that they use to classify lymphoma however the main classification system is the staging system as this is closely related to prognosis and thus survival. Early stage lymphoma has a much better chance of being cured whereas late stage is often incurable and so it is imperative that any new case is diagnosed as early in its development as possible.
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