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NHL & Follicular Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a form of blood cancer that originates in the lymph nodes. There are two different types of lymphoma: Hodgkin lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The more common of the two, NHL, can occur in 16 different forms, with the most common form being follicular lymphoma. Follicular lymphoma is specifically defined as lymphoma of white blood cells located in the center of lymph nodes, or follicles.

  1. History

    • Hodgkin lymphoma was discovered by Thomas Hodgkin in 1832. As different types of lymphoma were discovered, a classification system for these types of lymphoma became necessary. Hodgkin lymphoma remained in its own category because of its higher sensitivity to radiation. Other types of lymphoma became classified as NHL in 1982. NHL were then put into subcategories (low grade, intermediate grade and high grade) according to their aggressiveness using a system called the Working Formulation. Currently, follicular lymphoma makes up 70 percent of all NHL diagnoses and can be classified in all three subcategories, depending on the size of the lymphatic cells.

    Symptoms

    • Among NHL patients who have symptoms, the most common symptoms are swelling of the lymph nodes, abdominal pain and chest pain. As the disease develops, it can spread throughout the body causing pain Because follicular lymphoma is very slow growing, patients may not experience symptoms until the late stages of the disease.

    Diagnosis

    • There are several tests for lymphoma. If a doctor suspects lymphoma, a urine test, CT scan, or lymph node biopsy can confirm if lymphoma is present. If follicular lymphoma is diagnosed, it will be categorized based on the severity of the disease. There are four stages of follicular lymphoma, with Stage I having the highest survival rate, and Stage IV having the lowest. There are also three different grades of follicular lymphoma based on the affected cell size. Grade 1 affects the smallest cells and Grade 3 is more aggressive, affecting mostly large cells.

    Treatment

    • Follicular lymphoma generally responds very well to treatment. While there is no cure for follicular lymphoma, several types of treatments give the disease a high average age of survival, 18 years. The disease can be treated using chemotherapy, radiation therapy, stem cell transplants or any combination of these treatments. Because follicular lymphoma grows slowly, treatment is not always needed right away.

    Other Types of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

    • Less common types of NHL also affect thousand of people every year. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a low grade NHL which is very responsive to treatment. An intermediate grade lymphoma, diffuse lymphoma, is moderately aggressive and makes up 40 percent of all lymphomas. More severely aggressive lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma is very rare and makes up only 2 percent of all lymphomas.

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