Swelling in the nodes of the neck, armpits and groin, excessive night sweats, fever, itchy skin and weight loss are the main symptoms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a type of cancer that has just been diagnosed in actress Jane Fonda.
In a post to her 1.9 million Instagram followers, the 84-year-old artist said she is already undergoing chemotherapy.
Fonda described the condition as “a very treatable cancer”. “I feel very lucky,” she declared.
The Hollywood star used the post to highlight the state of health care in the United States and said he would continue with climate activism.
The actress wrote that she felt lucky because she has health insurance and “access to the best doctors and treatments”.
“I realize, and it’s painful, that I’m privileged in that regard.”
But what is non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
Affected blood cells
Tumors that affect blood cells can be divided into three main groups: leukemia, myeloma, and lymphoma.
Lymphoma, in turn, is divided into two types: Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
They are so called because the first was discovered in 1832 by British pathologist Thomas Hodgkin (1798-1866).
The scientist analyzed several people with symptoms of a disease that affected the lymph nodes.
This type was originally called “Hodgkin’s disease”, but was renamed “Hodgkin’s lymphoma” in the late 20th century.
As explained by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Association of the United States, this happened because later research revealed that the disease is a consequence of a DNA lesion that occurs in lymphocytes, the defense cell responsible for defending the body against infections.
And it is precisely the change in lymphocytes that causes them to turn into lymphoma. These diseased units clump together to form masses of cells (tumors), and often accumulate in the lymph nodes or other parts of the body.
Hodgkin’s and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Hodgkin’s lymphoma grows in an orderly fashion among groups of lymph nodes.
It is worth remembering that lymph nodes are structures of the lymphatic system, a complex network of vessels that covers our body and is essential for the functioning of the immune system.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, on the other hand, spreads through the lymphatic system in a confusing and non-patterned way, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Worldwide, more than 70,000 people are diagnosed with lymphoma each year.
These figures, from the Global Cancer Observatory (Globocan), show that lymphoma is the most common blood cancer among adults.
The National Cancer Institute (Inca) estimates 2,600 cases of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and 12,000 of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma each year in Brazil.
the diagnosis
As explained above, the most common symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, especially in the part of the body where the tumor starts to grow.
Common areas where lymph nodes can be felt with the fingers are the groin, armpits, neck, behind the ears, and the back of the head. There are also lymph nodes in other areas of the body, such as the chest and abdomen.
In addition to swollen lymph nodes, the symptoms of lymphoma can be similar to those of other illnesses, such as flu and even Covid-19.
Patients with this disease often experience fever, night sweats, tiredness, cough, itching, and weight loss.
The treatment
Until now, the cause of most cases of Hodgkin’s lymphoma is unknown.
There are no means of prevention established by science and there is no risk of transmitting the disease to another person.
The tumor is usually diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40 and becomes more common after the sixth decade of life.
On the other hand, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma has a much greater variation in prognosis and treatment according to the characteristics of each condition.
“Fortunately, almost all lymphomas are treatable. There are very few that cannot be treated”, explains Dr. Carla Casulo, a professor at the University of Rochester, in the United States.
“This is a somewhat complicated disease, because there are different lymphomas. Some are more aggressive, others completely indolent”, he explains.
For this reason, if the typical symptoms of the tumor appear —especially swellings in the nodes that do not go away after a few days—the recommendation is to consult a doctor and undergo a more in-depth evaluation.
– This text was originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-62779463
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