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Lymphomas:

What is cancer of the lymph nodes?.

Lymphoma is a general term for cancer of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is part of the body's immune system, which consists of a complex network of lymph organs including: bone marrow, spleen and thymus. The lymphatic system is filled with fluid called lymph, which carries nutrients and waste and white blood cells (lymphocytes) in all parts of the body. In the development of lymphocytes abnormally or fail to die when instructed, they can accumulate in the lymph nodes and tumors form.

There are many different subtypes of lymphoma, which is divided into two main types:
Hodgkin lymphoma (Hodgkin's disease) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Hodgkin Lymphoma:

Hodgkin lymphoma is a rare form of lymphoma is characterized by abnormal cells, especially tumor - Reed Sternberg - not present in other forms of lymphoma. More than 62,000 people around the world diagnosed with lymphoma each year, of those 38,000 (60%) were male and 24,000 (40%) are female. Approximately 25,000 people worldwide die each year from this disease (1).
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL]):-

Any lymphoma that is not lymphoma, classified as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. There are more than 30 different subtypes of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which are generally classified into two groups on an equal footing, depending on the rate at which the tumor is growing:

1. Indolent (low grade): tumor cells divide and reproduce slowly, making initial diagnosis difficult. Patients can live many years with the disease, and after the standard treatment can not cure the disease in advanced stages.
2. Aggressive (intermediate / high grade): tumor cells divide and multiply rapidly in the body, and if left untreated, can be fatal within six months to two years. Unlike the NHL] lazy, and treatment of NHL] aggression can lead to patients being treated.

About 286,000 people in the world are infected with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma each year, and that 166,000 (58%) were male and 120,000 (42%) are female. About 161,000 people die of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma each year (1).

Symptoms and diagnosis:-

The most common symptoms of cancer of the lymph nodes are:

* Painless swelling in the neck, armpit or groin
* Night sweats
* Unexplained fever
* Weight loss and fatigue
* Cough, shortness of breath
* Persistent itching all over the body

And swelling associated with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma may also manifest themselves in other parts of the body such as the stomach and the nervous system or the skin. The only way to accurate diagnosis of lymphoma is a sampling of the lymph node enlarged.
Causes of lymphoma:

The exact cause of lymphoma remains unknown. However, some forms of lymphoma are more likely to develop in people who have used drugs to prevent rejection following organ transplants or who have low immunity, for example, people living with HIV or AIDS. It is believed that some chemicals and pesticides in the maintenance of wood materials may cause cancer of the lymph nodes (2). It is known, however, that the lymphomas are not contagious and can not be transmitted through families