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Non Hodgkin Lymphoma Research Paper

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Cancer is defined as the disease caused by an uncontrollable division of abnormal cells in a part of the body. The particular cancer that I️ researched is Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) which is a type of cancer that begins in the cells of the lymph system. (Lymphoma) The lymph system is a part of the immune system. Lymph tissue is found all throughout the body; therefore, Lymphoma can begin from almost any part of the body since the major sites of lymph tissue are the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, thymus, digestive tract, and adenoids and tonsils. (What) “In most cases, it is not known what causes Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.” (Risk) Some risk factors of NHL are beyond our control such as age and gender but usually they are acquired rather than inherited. (Risk) NHL begins in white blood cells called lymphocytes. (What) There are two main types of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes ( B cells) and T lymphocytes (T cells). B cells normally create antibodies to …show more content…

According to Cancer Treatment Centers of America some common symptoms of NHL include fever, night sweats, chills, persistent fatigue, lethargy, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, unexplained weight loss, abdominal pain or swelling, skin rash, itchy skin (pruritus), coughing, shortness of breath, headache, difficulty moving, pain in the chest, abdomen or bones for no reason, and swelling in the lymph nodes in the neck, underarms, or groin. (Non-Hodgkin) Certain symptoms of lymphomas are similar to those of an infection; consequently, doctors usually test for infection and then order a biopsy of the enlarged lymph node or other affected area when they believe that the swelling is not caused by infection. (Test) There are many different types of biopsies. The two most common types of biopsies are excisional and incisional biopsies. An excisional biopsy is when a doctor removes the entire lymph node. An incisional biopsy is when a small part of a larger tumor or node is removed.

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