Types of Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a heterogeneous group of oncological diseases of lymphatic tissue, characterized by enlargement of lymph nodes and/or damage to various internal organs, in which there is an uncontrolled accumulation of “tumor” lymphocytes. A lymphocyte is a blood cell that is the main component of the body’s immune system. In lymphoma, as a result of the uncontrolled division of “tumor” lymphocytes, their descendants colonize the lymph nodes and various internal organs, disrupting their normal functioning.

Types of disease

Specialists divide lymphomas into two types: Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s. A distinctive feature of Hodgkin’s lymphoma in comparison with other diseases is the presence in the affected lymph nodes of a special type of cell called Berezovsky-Sternberg-Reed cells. These are giant cells derived from B lymphocytes. B-lymphocytes are involved in the production of antibodies that protect the body from infections. The main task of antibodies is to alert immune cells about the appearance of an infection in the body. Specialists distinguish several histological variants of Hodgkin’s lymphoma: with nodular sclerosis (40-50% of all cases of LGM), mixed cell (about 30% of all cases of LGM), with lymphoid predominance and with depletion of lymphoid tissue (rare variants).

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a condition in which malignant (cancerous) cells form in the lymphatic system. The disease can form in B-lymphocytes, T-lymphocytes or natural killer cells. Lymphocytes are found in the blood and also collect in the lymph nodes, spleen and thymus. For treatment and prognosis, it is especially important to subdivide lymphomas into indolent (sluggish), that is, relatively slowly progressing even in the absence of specific treatment, and aggressive, that is, rapidly developing. Children and adolescents suffer almost exclusively from aggressive lymphomas, which determines the tactics of their treatment.

Treatment

Any malignant tumors are successfully treated at the Israeli Tel Aviv Medical Clinic. The Department of Internal Medicine is equipped with the most modern equipment. Experienced doctors have a high level of qualifications and practical experience. 

Treatment for the disease is based on a combination of chemotherapy and radiation. The choice of a specific therapy depends on the variant of the disease, the patient’s age, stage (local or widespread damage to the body), concomitant diseases and other factors. In difficult cases (resistance of the disease to therapy, relapses), high-dose therapy with autologous bone marrow transplantation can be used. Allogeneic transplantation is rarely used.