About 90 percent of all people diagnosed with early-stage illness and more than 50 percent of those with more advanced stage are now living longer than 10 years with no signs of the disease coming back. The stage of the disease at diagnosis is critical in planning treatments.
Survival for all non-Hodgkin lymphomas
around 80 out of every 100 people (around 80%) survive their cancer for 1 year or more after they are diagnosed. around 65 out of every 100 people (around 65%) survive their cancer for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
Around 90 out of 100 people (around 90%) will survive their Hodgkin lymphoma for 5 years or more after diagnosis.
With lymphoma, the lymph nodes often grow slowly and may be there for months or years before they're noticed. But sometimes they grow very quickly. Usually, the swollen nodes don't hurt. But some people say their lumps ache or are painful.
Stage 4. Stage 4 is the most advanced stage of lymphoma. Lymphoma that has started in the lymph nodes and spread to at least one body organ outside the lymphatic system (for example, the lungs, liver, bone marrow or solid bones) is advanced lymphoma.
Low-Grade Lymphoma
These grow so slowly that patients can live for many years mostly without symptoms, although some may experience pain from an enlarged lymph gland. After five to 10 years, low-grade disorders begin to progress rapidly to become aggressive or high-grade and produce more severe symptoms.
Skin reactions are common. Chemotherapy kills cells that multiply quickly, such as lymphoma cells. It also causes damage to fast-growing normal cells, including hair cells and cells that make up the tissues in your mouth, gut and bone marrow. The side effects of chemotherapy occur as a result of this damage.
For stage I NHL, the 5-year relative survival rate is more than 86%. For stage II the 5-year relative survival rate is 78%, and for stage III it is more than 72%. For stage IV NHL, the 5-year relative survival rate is almost 64%.
Long-term survival with Hodgkin lymphoma is hard to estimate due to conditions like secondary cancers that may occur decades after treatment. However, between 15 years and 30 years after Hodgkin lymphoma treatment, people are more likely to die from an unrelated cause than from Hodgkin lymphoma.
Lymphoma most often spreads to the liver, bone marrow, or lungs. Stage III-IV lymphomas are common, still very treatable, and often curable, depending on the NHL subtype. Stage III and stage IV are now considered a single category because they have the same treatment and prognosis.
Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma or Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia.
This is a rare, slow-growing type of lymphoma. It's found mainly in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen. This type of lymphoma can't be cured.
The changes can be gradual, but crises can develop. People with NHL most often die from infections, bleeding or organ failure resulting from metastases. A serious infection or sudden bleeding can quickly lead to death, even if someone doesn't appear very ill.
Lymphoma is often curable, especially in its initial stages.
For some people, the lymphoma may never go away completely. These people may get regular treatments with chemo, radiation, or other therapies to help keep the lymphoma in check for as long as possible and to help relieve symptoms.
Your medical team are likely to suggest treatment if: your symptoms become difficult to cope with. you develop 'B symptoms' (night sweats, weight loss and fevers) your lymph nodes or spleen start to grow quickly or you develop swollen lymph nodes in new places.
Hair loss is quite common in people who are treated with chemotherapy; overall, around 2 in 3 people experience hair loss. Chemotherapy kills lymphoma cells, but it can also destroy healthy cells, particularly those that normally divide quickly. Hair follicles produce hair.
A typical chemotherapy regime for Hodgkin lymphoma might involve around six cycles of a combination of drugs, given over a period of six months. There are many different ways of giving chemotherapy. It may be given through a vein (intravenously or IV), usually in your arm or hand, or in tablet form (orally).
Palliative care can mean anything from the management of lymphoma symptoms like itch or pain, to managing treatment side effects, or simply providing a source of psychological support and helping you navigate the healthcare system and find resources to support you.
Aggressive lymphoma, also known as high-grade lymphoma, is a group of fast growing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Some common symptoms for aggressive lymphoma are weight loss, night sweats, nausea and recurrent fevers. Since these tumors are fast to grow and spread, immediate intervention is required after diagnosis.
Burkitt lymphoma is considered the most aggressive form of lymphoma and is one of the fastest growing of all cancers.
Common symptoms of having lymphoma include swelling of lymph nodes in your neck, in your armpits or your groin. This is often but not always painless and often could be associated with fevers, or unexplained weight loss, or drenching night sweats, sometimes chills, persistent fatigue.
low-grade or indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma – where the cancer grows slowly and you may not experience any symptoms for many years.