Non-Hodgkin lymphoma(NHL): Symptoms & Diagnosis
Symptoms
The symptoms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) vary greatly depending on the type and extent of involvement. In general, aggressive lymphoma is characterized by a rapidly enlarging mass, systemic B symptoms, elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and uric acid. These aggressive lymphomas include diffuse large B cell lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma, mature T cell lymphoma, and precursor B or T lymphoblastic lymphoma.
Indolent lymphoma may be a slowly growing mass, liver and spleen enlargement, and cytopenia. These lymphomas include follicular lymphoma, small lymphocytic lymphoma, and marginal zone lymphoma.
About 40 percent of NHL patients have systemic symptoms called B symptoms. B symptoms means fever over 38 degrees, weight loss over 10 percent for 6 months, night sweats. These symptoms are more pronounced in aggressive lymphoma and are associated with prognosis.
Also, lymphadenopathy appears in more than two thirds of NHL patients. Lymphadenopathy is often seen to be reactive by infectious disease. In lymphoma, a painless lymph node can be touched. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to examine each lymph node location, liver, and spleen through physical examination.
Lymphoma can be caused by a number of causes, including congenital or acquired immunodeficiency diseases, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, chemicals and drugs, and infections.
Diagnosis
Biopsy is required for diagnosis and classification of lymphoma. An indication that a biopsy of a lymph node is needed is one that meets one or more of the following three criteria: These three cases are Significant enlargement, when they last 4 to 6 weeks or more, and they become larger in size. Fine needle aspiration is also used as a screening test, but only excisional biopsy can accurately diagnose and classify lymphoma. Biopsy allows histology, immunophenotype, and genetic studies to classify lymphomas. Because bone marrow is invasive in 30 to 50 percent of NHL patients, bone marrow examination is also performed. In addition, if there is a suspicion of involvement or invasion of several other tissues, the cerebrospinal fluid, pleural fluid, peritoneal fluid, spleen, etc. may be examined.
The NHL diagnosed in this way can be classified as follows. Precursor lymphoid neoplasm is precursor B lymphoblastic leukemia / lymphoma, precursor T lymphoblastic leukemia / lymphoma. Mature B cell neoplasm is a chronic lymphocytic leukemia / small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL / SLL), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL), Mantle cell lymphoma (BCLL), Follicular lymphoma (FL), Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Burkitt lymphoma (BL), Marginal zone B cell lymphoma (MZL), Hairy cell leukemia / Plasmacytoma. Mature T cell or NK cell lineage neoplasms can be classified as peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), or primary cutaneous peripheral T cell lymphoma.
The symptoms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) vary greatly depending on the type and extent of involvement. In general, aggressive lymphoma is characterized by a rapidly enlarging mass, systemic B symptoms, elevated serum lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and uric acid. These aggressive lymphomas include diffuse large B cell lymphoma, Burkitt lymphoma, mature T cell lymphoma, and precursor B or T lymphoblastic lymphoma.
Indolent lymphoma may be a slowly growing mass, liver and spleen enlargement, and cytopenia. These lymphomas include follicular lymphoma, small lymphocytic lymphoma, and marginal zone lymphoma.
About 40 percent of NHL patients have systemic symptoms called B symptoms. B symptoms means fever over 38 degrees, weight loss over 10 percent for 6 months, night sweats. These symptoms are more pronounced in aggressive lymphoma and are associated with prognosis.
Also, lymphadenopathy appears in more than two thirds of NHL patients. Lymphadenopathy is often seen to be reactive by infectious disease. In lymphoma, a painless lymph node can be touched. Therefore, in this case, it is necessary to examine each lymph node location, liver, and spleen through physical examination.
Lymphoma can be caused by a number of causes, including congenital or acquired immunodeficiency diseases, autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases, chemicals and drugs, and infections.
Diagnosis
Biopsy is required for diagnosis and classification of lymphoma. An indication that a biopsy of a lymph node is needed is one that meets one or more of the following three criteria: These three cases are Significant enlargement, when they last 4 to 6 weeks or more, and they become larger in size. Fine needle aspiration is also used as a screening test, but only excisional biopsy can accurately diagnose and classify lymphoma. Biopsy allows histology, immunophenotype, and genetic studies to classify lymphomas. Because bone marrow is invasive in 30 to 50 percent of NHL patients, bone marrow examination is also performed. In addition, if there is a suspicion of involvement or invasion of several other tissues, the cerebrospinal fluid, pleural fluid, peritoneal fluid, spleen, etc. may be examined.
The NHL diagnosed in this way can be classified as follows. Precursor lymphoid neoplasm is precursor B lymphoblastic leukemia / lymphoma, precursor T lymphoblastic leukemia / lymphoma. Mature B cell neoplasm is a chronic lymphocytic leukemia / small lymphocytic lymphoma (CLL / SLL), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL), Mantle cell lymphoma (BCLL), Follicular lymphoma (FL), Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), Burkitt lymphoma (BL), Marginal zone B cell lymphoma (MZL), Hairy cell leukemia / Plasmacytoma. Mature T cell or NK cell lineage neoplasms can be classified as peripheral T cell lymphoma (PTCL), anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL), or primary cutaneous peripheral T cell lymphoma.
