Is lymphoma a serious cancer? That depends on the type of lymphoma. For example, non-Hodgkin lymphoma may make your body more vulnerable to life-threatening infections, other kinds of cancer or heart disease. Data show about 3 in 100,000 people worldwide die of some type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
The 5-year survival rate for NHL in the United States is 74%. The survival rates for NHL vary based on several factors. These include the stage and subtype of cancer, a person's age and general health, and how well the treatment plan works. For stage I NHL, the 5-year relative survival rate is more than 86%.
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.
Aggressive lymphomas grow and spread quickly, and usually need to be treated right away. The most common type of aggressive lymphoma in the United States is diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Some types of lymphoma, like mantle cell lymphoma, don't fit neatly into either of these categories.
More than 80 percent of all patients diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma can be cured by current treatment approaches. The cure rate is higher, approaching 90 percent, in younger patients and those with early-stage favorable disease. Even if disease recurs, many patients can be cured with further treatment.
There is a chance that your treatment can increase the risk of getting another type of cancer in the future. This is because both chemotherapy drugs and radiotherapy work by damaging cells. They kill the lymphoma cells, but they can damage healthy cells too.
Burkitt lymphoma grows very rapidly, which means that symptoms usually develop quickly, over just a few days or weeks. The most common symptom is one or more lumps, which often develop in several parts of your body. These are swollen lymph nodes.
Stage 4 lymphoma means that cancer has spread to an organ external to the lymphatic system. The survival rates vary widely depending on an individual's risk factors and type of cancer. The survival rate of stage 4 lymphoma is lower than that of the other stages, but doctors can cure the condition in some cases.
You should have an urgent referral if you have swollen lymph nodes and your GP can't explain the cause. Your GP will also take into account any other symptoms you might have such as: high temperatures (fevers) night sweats.
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. But people can live with it for many years.
In practice, most people with high grade NHL have treatment as if it is an advanced cancer. This usually means quite intensive chemotherapy treatment with 3 or 4 different drugs, over 6 to 8 months.
Lymphoma is cancer that starts in the lymph nodes. For example, if breast cancer spreads to the lymph nodes in the armpits it does not become lymphoma. The cancer cells that have spread to the lymph nodes are still breast cancer cells.
5-year relative survival rates for NHL
The overall 5-year relative survival rate for people with NHL is 74%. But it's important to keep in mind that survival rates can vary widely for different types and stages of 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.
You can have lymphoma for years without noticing changes in your body. Sometimes, people learn they have the condition of lymphoma because routine imaging tests detect signs of lymphoma.
Lymphoma affects more than 7300 Australians each year, and is the 6th most common cancer in adult men and women in Australia, but can affect people of all ages including children and babies.
Loss of Appetite
Not feeling hungry or getting full very quickly is another possible sign of lymphoma. Some patients also feel nauseous, vomit, or develop abdominal pain. Lymphoma affecting your liver might also cause you to feel bloated, resulting from a fluid build-up in your abdomen.
Whether your lymphoma is being treated or not, it's important to have treatment to relieve your symptoms. This type of treatment, sometimes called palliative care, can be given along with cancer treatment as well as if cancer treatment is no longer working.
It has 4 stages, labeled I, II, III, and IV. For limited stage (I or II) HL that affects an organ outside of the lymph system, the letter E is added to the stage (for example, stage IE or IIE).
NHL is a disease that usually comes on suddenly and gets worse quickly. Symptoms vary depending on where tumor(s) are. These are the most common locations and their symptoms: Abdomen – pain, swelling, fever, anemia, tiredness, weight loss, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, and irregular periods.
Excisional or incisional biopsy: This is the preferred and most common type of biopsy if lymphoma is suspected, because it almost always provides enough of a sample to diagnose the exact type of NHL. In this procedure, a surgeon cuts through the skin to remove the lymph node.
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. your blood tests or other test results show that lymphoma is affecting your major organs or is growing in your bone marrow.