What is the difference between non hodgkin’s lymphoma and lymphoma?

Alright folks, it’s time to clear up some confusion about these two types of cancer that tend to get mixed up: non Hodgkin’s lymphoma and lymphoma. Yes, you read that right – they’re not the same thing! Let me break it down for you.

Understanding Cancer Basics

Before I dive into the specifics of these two cancers, let me give a quick refresher on what exactly cancer is. Essentially, our bodies are made up of cells which grow and divide in an orderly fashion; however, sometimes things can go haywire and cells begin to grow uncontrollably forming tumors.

Cancer occurs when these cells don’t die off like they should and instead continue to multiply at an abnormal rate until the growth forms a lump or mass called a tumor. Now that we’ve got the basics out of the way – let’s talk about those pesky lymphomas!

What Exactly Is Lymphatic Cancer?

Lymphatic cancer (also known as lymphoma) is specific type of blood-related cancer wherein some subset of white blood cells within your body grows without control inside your bloodstream leading to tumors which develop in your immune system tissue including bone marrow or spleen etc.

So far so good? Alrighty then…now onto telling non-Hodgkin from plain old vanilla-flavored regular Hodgkin.

The Key Differences Between Non-Hodgkins And Plain Old Vanilla-flavored Regular “Hodgin”

Simply put non-Hodgkins lymphomas involve malignant tumours developing from rapid proliferation /division (growth)of T-cells whereas plain old vanilla-flavored regular, often abbreviated as HNS-LYMPH involves malignant tumorous growth hinged on Reed-Sternberg Cells(are specialized B-Cells).

If you didn’t quite catch all those scientific mumbo-jumbo, allow me to simplify: non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma starts when T-cells (white blood cells) grow uncontrollably, and Hodgkin lymphoma begins when B-cells become cancerous. The differences between these two types of cancer don’t stop there.

Symptoms Of Non-Hodgkin’s And Hodgkins Lymphoma

Look – I’m not going to sugarcoat it; both non-Hodgkin’s and Hodgkins lymphomas have quite similar symptoms as each other such as:

  • Night Sweats
  • Shortness of Breath or Wheezing
  • Painless swelling on one or more parts of the body (like lymph nodes)
  • Fatigue that will just not shake off

However subtle certain similarities might seem, they are far from indistinguishable! Now let us highlight a rundown of their differentiating symptoms individually in order to spot the contrast better among them.

Different Types Of B-cell/Lymphatic Cancer

Indolent Lymphomas – “Thick skin”

There is often no requirement for significant treatment procedures with lower levels enlarged nodules for years without considerable detection if any. Doctors call this slow-growing form an “indolent” type which could be fatal but with prolonged periods leading up to Final Diagnosis

Aggressive/ Rapid-growth Lymphomas —The Real Emergency Room Visits!

Onset/Symptoms develop very quickly-paced causing respiratory/multisystem failure within weeks instead of months depending on how much has been progressed already leaving little room for error before medical-surgical intervention is required.

Subtypes Of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma & Their Symptoms…

Can you hear angels singing? Welcome once again this time exclusively dealing with Non-Hodgin Lymphoma subtypes,here we go :

1: Burketts Lymphoma-Weirdly Sporadic Symptoms

A swift onset of symptoms in the form swollen lymph nodes on neck, chest and abdomen sometimes with abdominal pain due to spleen enlargement amidst spinning headaches instantly throwing upper respiratory system out of sync.

2: Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)-Sudden Brutal Skin Changes

-DLBC is an aggressive Non-hodgkin’s lymphoma that can cause a number of immune response mediated reactions such as :

- Bruising or easily _bleeding skin_ 
- Itchy/burning rash
- Tumor formation around face/neck

Trust me when I say, you’ll know something’s wrong if you have a sudden breakout all over your body.

3: Follicular Lymphoma-A Silent Menace

With very few detectible symptoms patients usually find themselves becoming rather tired others notice more night sweats than usual while little swollen lumps begin appearing at various points under their skin.

The Subtypes Of Hodgkin’s Lymphoma & Their Symptoms…

  1. Nodular sclerosis-

This type often comes accompanied by these indicative red flags:
- Swollen painless lymph node clusters
- A strong intake of breath during exercise

2. Mixed cellularity

Reasons for concern typically associated with mixed cellular HOdgin include,
-Night sweats
-Painless swollen cervical glands that might also impact bone marrow generation capability thereby reducing immunity.

Compared to Non-Hodgkins’ tumors Hodgkins are oftentimes diagnosed earlier due tounusual antibodies signaling presence. However they equally possess very distinct subtypes which enables correct diagnosis leading to better prognosis.

How Do You Treat Non-Hodgkin’s And Hodgkin’s Lymphomas?

The process doctors use for both types of cancer varies based on the type of lymphoma present in your body, levels of progression and how your B-cells are behaving. Common treatments include :

  • Chemotherapy or radiation to help destroy cancerous cells
  • Removal of tumours
  • Stem cell therapy(doctors may craft another batch to mitigate damage done by chemotherapy.

Final Thoughts…

To sum it up in a nutshell, non-Hodgkin’s and Hodgkin’s lymphomas share some common symptoms such as night sweats and swollen glands, but fundamentally they behave differently due their formation pathway differentiation which should be taken more seriously at first diagnosis.This is important not only because early detection saves lives but also facilitates better management/treatment quality.Speak with your Doctor if you have any questions regarding these diseases-they’ll gladly walk you through things & save that “watery eye” from being frequent visitors when reviewing this medical topic.

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