Rising
rates of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in the U.S. are likely due to more
widespread use of drugs that affect the immune system, according to
Stephanie Gregory, MD, oncologist and professor of medicine at Rush
University Medical Center.
"We're helping people with autoimmune diseases and organ transplants to live longer," part of the cost is "an increase in the incidence of lymphomas."
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can defy generalization, because there are over 20 different forms of the disease.
"You
could be in a room with 100 people with lymphoma and at most only 30
people would have the same thing you're dealing with," John Leonard, MD,
director of the Cornell Center for Lymphoma and Myeloma at Weill
Cornell Medical Center, stated.
Lymphomas result
when certain blood cells, called lymphocytes, multiply and refuse to
obey normal signals -- especially the command to die normally.
Lymphocytes build up, especially in lymph nodes, and eventually cause
serious problems by their size and their ineffectiveness at fighting
infections, which is their usual job.
For
slow-growing lymphomas, long-term survival is common, although they
cannot be cured. More aggressive tumors are more dangerous, but a
permanent cure is possible. The lymphoma type, its effects, and its
growth rate determine the best treatment.
The most common types of NHL are:
- The usually slow-growing follicular lymphoma
- The often more aggressive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Less common types include:
- Mantle cell lymphoma
- Small lymphocytic lymphoma
- Burkitt's lymphoma
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