Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Primary & Secondary Lymphoma

Healthy white blood cells


Lymphoma is a cancer that originates in some forms of white blood cells. It is the most common blood-related cancer, and makes up over five percent of cancers worldwide. There are a number of options for treating and curing lymphomas.


Hodgkin's Disease


This is a type of primary lymphoma specifically characterized by its pattern of systemic spreading from one lymph node to another. It is named after Thomas Hodgkin, the man who first described it.


Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma


These are types of primary lymphomas that do not spread systematically and can take a number of different forms. The characteristics used to classify them has varied over the past 20 years.


Treatment of Primary Lymphomas


Like other cancers, lymphomas are treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. If detected early, the survival rate for a lymphoma is high.


Secondary Lymphoma


Secondary lymphomas may arise as a side effect of chemotherapy or radiatiotherapy used to treat other types of cancer. They may also be a result of a primary lymphoma metastasizing to other parts of the body.


Treating Secondary Lymphoma


Treatment of secondary lymphoma is similar to that of primary treatment. Other treatments may include surgery to remove the cancer cluster or bone marrow transplants.







Tags: Secondary Lymphoma, blood cells, primary lymphoma, white blood, white blood cells