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HODGKIN DISEASE DESCRIPTION |
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Hodgkin's lymphoma can occur at any age,
although the majority of these lymphomas occur in people between the
ages of 15–34, and after the age of 60. An understanding of the
lymphatic system, as well as a general understanding of the nature
of cancer, is helpful in making sense out of Hodgkin's disease. The lymphatic system The lymphatic system is part of the body's immune system. It consists of a number of elements: A network of vessels which serve to drain tissue fluid from all the major organs of the body, including the skin, and from all four limbs. These vessels pass through lymph nodes on their way to empty their contents into major veins at the base of the neck and within the abdomen. The lymph nodes are clusters of specialized cells which serve to filter the lymph fluid, trapping foreign substances, including viruses, bacteria, and cancer cells, as well as any other encountered debris. (For example, lymph nodes which receive fluid from the lungs of city dwellers often contain gritty, dark material due to filtering of debris from polluted city air.) Lymphocytes are cells of the immune system. They are produced within bone marrow, lymph nodes, and spleen and circulate throughout the body in both blood and lymph fluid. These cells work to identify and rid the body of any invaders that threaten health. Clusters of scavenger-like immune cells exist in major organs, and provide immune surveillance on location. These include the tonsils and adenoids (in the throat/pharynx), Kupffer cells (in the liver), Peyer's patches (in the intestine), and other specialized immune cells stationed in the lungs and the brain. Cancer Cancer is a condition in which a particular type of cell within the body begins to multiply in an out-of-control fashion. This may mean that cancer cells multiply more quickly, or it may mean that cancer cells take on abnormal characteristics. For example, at a very early stage in embryonic development (development of a fetus within the uterus), generic body cells begin to differentiate; that is, they acquire specific characteristics which ultimately allow liver cells to function as liver cells, blood cells as blood cells, brain cells as brain cells, etc. Cancer, then, is sometimes considered to be a process of de-differentiation, during which a type of cell loses its individuality and becomes a more embryonic cell. Such cells also lose their sense of organization and no longer position themselves appropriately within their resident tissue. Cancer cells can also acquire the ability to invade other tissues. Normally, for example, breast cells are found only in breast tissue. However, cancerous breast cells can invade into other tissue spaces, so that breast cancer can spread to bone, liver, brain, etc. Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph system. Depending on the specific type, a lymphoma can have any or all of the characteristics of cancer: rapid multiplication of cells, abnormal cell types, loss of normal arrangement of cells with respect to each other, and invasive ability. |
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| HODGKIN DISEASE RELATED ITEMS | ||
