Lymphoma is a kind of cancer that affects the patient’s lymphatic cells. These are part of the immune system. Naturally, it is a serious medical condition. Someone that has this cancer may show lymphoma symptoms. Do keep in mind, however, that a person could have this malignancy without displaying any of the symptoms mentioned here. Also, what you read on this page isn’t a complete list — nor is it, of course, intended to be used in place of advice from a doctor.

Anemia

The condition known as anemia may develop as one of the lymphoma symptoms. While anemia can refer to multiple situations, in many cases it is an instance of fewer than normal red blood cells in the individual’s blood. This can medically occur in multiple ways: whether by a lack of sufficient production of them, by their destruction in high amounts, or by a the loss of a significantly high amount of blood. These, at least, are the three main ways in which it can occur.

Aside from lymphoma, other medical causes of anemia are also possible. For instance, it may be due do a deficiency in vitamin B12. In this case, the condition is labeled as the pernicious form.

Shortness of breath

A person who has lymphoma may also experience breathlessness as a symptom. This is far from the only medical cause, however. Congestive heart failure is another possible reason. It can also occur in instances of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, which is where chronic bronchitis and emphysema are present at once. Asthma is also a reason behind shortness of breath. Pneumonia and many other medical reasons can also be behind it. There are various diagnostic methods that can be used to look for or rule out possible causes, with a chest X-ray being one of the possibilities. There may be particular treatment methods that are aimed at this cause, if it is found.

Burkitts lymphoma is an exceedingly rare type of cancer. Less than a thousand cases are diagnosed yearly in the United States of America.

However, in some other parts of the world where it is endemic, such as certain parts of central Africa, Burkitt’s lymphoma is very common among children.

Burkitt’s lymphoma is a Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL) cancer that affects B lymphocyte cells. There are 3 distinct varieties of this disease:

-Immunodeficiency-related: This form of the condition occurs most often in HIV patients and similarly immunocompromised individuals such as recent transplant recipients. The condition may signal the onset of AIDS.

-Sporadic: This variant of the disease is found outside of the African continent. It is akin to endemic Burkitt’s lymphoma and is associated with immune system compromise.

-Endemic: This form of the disease is the so-called “African” form and is responsible for the majority of malignant cases in central African children. This form of the disease may affect several areas but most often impacts the jaw, ovaries, breasts, kidneys, facial bone. The Epstein-Barr virus, which is the virus responsible for mononucleosis is closely associated with Burkitt’s.

The symptoms of Burkitts lymphoma may include painless, swollen lymph nodes (this is characteristic of lymphomas in general), hardening and/or rapid growth of the lymph nodes. Pain in the abdomen is another possible sign.

This disease can be diagnosed by a variety of modes such as:

-X-ray of the chest
-Blood Count
-Spinal fluid analysis
-Lymph node and/or bone marrow biopsy
-CT and/or PET scan

Treatment of this disease usually involves intense chemotherapy. The earlier that chemotherapy is started, the better the outlook as this is a particularly aggressive form of cancer. However, some cancers which grow rapidly such as Burkitt’s, respond more quickly to treatment. This can actually harm the patient through a process called tumor lysis syndrome, in which the body is subjected to the byproducts of the breakdown of cancer cells which may cause any of a host of serious complications such as severe electrolyte disruption and renal failure.

Combination chemotherapy may be supplemented with radiotherapy, dietary interventions, nootropics, supplements, exposure to natural sunlight (for vitamin D). Surgery is often indicated for the removal of tumors and a bone marrow transplant may be necessary in the case that the bone marrow is affected.

The prognosis of Burkitt’s lymphoma depends upon the risk-factor of the patient. Caught early (low-risk or low/intermediate risk), combination chemotherapy which has produced survival rates in the 90% range. These figures decline significantly for higher risk cases; ~70% for high/intermediate risk and ~30% for high risk. The total 5 year survival rate for adults with Burkitts lymphoma is about 50 percent.