He lymphatic cancer Or lymphoma is located in white cells or lymphocytes located in lymph nodes or lymph nodes of the immune system.
It is characterized by affecting the Lymphocyte growth Or normal functioning of lymph nodes. These, along with lymphatic vessels or vessels, collect fluids, wastes, and microorganisms such as viruses and bacteria present in the tissues of the body and outside the bloodstream (MacGil, 2016).
Migration of cancer cells. Cancer can migrate to other body tissues or organs that produce metastasis.
Lymphatic vessels closely resemble veins, but instead of collecting and transporting blood through the body, they carry a crystalline fluid similar to water called the lymph . This substance irrigates all tissues and cells of the body.
Lymphatic cancer can manifest in the nodules in a localized way and then metastasize to any other part of the body. These cancerous nodules are called lymphomas and may or may not be classified as Hodgkin's lymphomas.
The most common cases of lymphatic cancer, however, are not those that have their origin in the nodules, but those that result from the metastasis of a cancer located elsewhere in the body. Cancer cells located in the lymph nodes due to a metastasis , Are recognized to be equal to those of the mother tumor.
When the lymph nodes affected by cancer cells are removed, the connection between the vessels responsible for transporting the lymph is broken. This can degenerate into later diseases such as Lymphedema And be highly traumatic to the patient.
Origin and metastasis of lymphatic cancer
Cancer, in general, can originate in any tissue of the body and subsequently affect other parts. This process is known as metastasis and can damage the lymph nodes.
When a tumor spreads through the body, it does so through the bloodstream or lymphatic system. Cancer cells can travel through the bloodstream and affect distant organs, or they can travel through the lymphatic system and end up lodged in the nodules.
Cancer cells that manage to leave their point of origin almost always die before staying in another part of the body (Leong, 2009).
For cancer cells to stay in other parts of the body, before they must undergo several changes. First, they must be able to detach themselves from the original tumor, then they must be able to adhere to the outer wall of a lymphatic or blood vessel.
Once there, they must move through the wall of the vessel and flow through the blood or lymph to a new organ or lymph node.
When the cancer grows inside the lymph nodes, it usually affects the natural ability of the nodes to fight cancer cells.
Lymph nodes
The lymph vessels are responsible for lining the lymph to the lymph nodes. These cysts are small structures that work as filters of substances harmful to the tissues of the body.
They contain immune cells that can help fight infections by attacking and destroying the microorganisms that cause them and which are collected in the lymph.
In the human body there are hundreds of lymph nodes, approximately between 500 and 600. Each lymph filters the lymph and substances collected in it along its route through the lymphatic vessels.
The lymph, which flows from the tips of the fingers goes to the chest, passing through the arms. In this way, it is filtered by the nodules located in the elbow or armpits. In the same way, the fluid that goes from the head, passes through the face, and down to the nodes located in the neck.
Some lymph nodes are located internally in the body. They can be between the lungs or around the digestive tract.
In these areas, these structures are responsible for filtering the lymph that flows slowly throughout the body. It is important to clarify that lymph always returns to the breast and that at the end of its course, filtered fluids, salts and proteins are returned to the bloodstream (AmericanCancerSociety, 2015).
Detection of lymphatic cancer
Normally, lymph nodes are small and difficult to find, however, when there is an infection, inflammation or cancer, they can grow. Those located near the surface of the body, can be felt with the fingers or seen through the skin.
Usually, a lymph node lodges a few cancerous cells and therefore can be seen and felt in the normal way. In these cases, doctors recommend removing a part or completely to study it. This surgical procedure is called a biopsy.
When a surgeon proceeds to remove a tumor, he may also remove the surrounding lymph nodes, as they may already have cancer cells lodged in them. When several nodules are removed, nodules are said to be sampled or dissected.
It is important to know that when a cancer does metastasize to the lymph nodes, there is a higher chance that it will reappear after it is removed surgically.
For this reason, treating physicians of patients with lymphatic cancer are responsible for sending the patient to radio or chemotherapy after surgery.
Another alternative to taking samples of enlarged lymph nodes is with a needle. This procedure is also considered a biopsy and the tissue removed should be analyzed with a microscope by a doctor who specializes in the diagnosis of diseases from tissue samples (pathologist) (Freedman, 2006).
Malignant cells attached to a lymph node can be easily detected when compared to stem cell cells, as they have the same appearance.
For example, if the mother tumor is in the breast, the cancer cells in the lymph node should look the same as the tumor located in the breast.
Another way to detect the presence of lymphatic cancer is through images supplied by a scanner.
These tests are done through radiological tools where the lymph nodes near the mother tumor are enlarged and analyzed as images in two and three dimensions.
Cancer Growth
The treatment proposed by the pathologist may vary depending on the number of cancer cells located in each node.
In case they are few, the treatment is simple. If lymphatic cancer is more severe, several tests and procedures should be done to treat it.
When cancer cells located in the lymph node are numerous, the nodule can be easily detected.
Similarly, if the cancer begins to grow outside the lymph node and into the connective tissue layer on the outside, it is said to have an extracapsular extension formation. This training is also easily recognizable.
The presence of numerous cancer cells in the nodules may mean that the cancer is growing rapidly and that it will be more likely to metastasize to other parts of the body.
However, if the cancer is detected early and eradicated from the lymph nodes and the mother tumor, it may not continue to grow and stop the process of metastasis (Cooper, 1993).
On the other hand, cancer that metastasizes to places other than lymph nodes probably will need to be treated with more invasive procedures such as Chemo Y radiotherapy (Education, 2014).
Classification of lymphatic cancer
The treatment of any type of cancer will depend on its type and the stage of development in which it is.
Doctors use a system to classify the state of the cancer, known as TNM . T stands for Tumor and M stands for metastasis. N on the other hand means if the tumor has spread to the lymph nodes.
If no cancerous cells are found near the nodules, the N is assigned a value of 0. The number assigned to the N can vary from 0 to 3 in case there are cancerous cells present in several nodules.
A cancer whose condition corresponds to the lowest value numbers in the TNM system is almost always easier to treat and the patient is more likely to survive.
For example, a T1, N0, M0 cancer is considered in the first stage of development and has not yet metastasized or affected lymphatic cells. T1 corresponds to a tumor in an early stage of development, N0 indicates that no lymph nodes have been affected and M0 shows that there is no metastasis of any kind.
An example of lymphatic cancer: Hodgkin's disease
Hodgkin's disease or Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of lymphatic cancer originating from the white cells located in the lymphoma, called lymphocytes.
This cancer is characterized because the cells of any part of the body begin to grow in an excessive way, degenerating into cancerous cells.
Hodgkin's disease gets its name from the doctor who first recognized it: Thomas Hodgkin . It is a disease that can occur in both children and adults.
It usually affects lymph nodes located in the upper body, especially in the chest, neck or under the arms.
Because lymphatic tissue is found in so many parts of the body, Hodgkin's disease can be started anywhere on the body and spread by jumping from one node to another, as if taking small steps.
In rare cases, the disease invades the bloodstream, affecting other parts of the body, including the lungs, liver and marrow.
Lymphatic tissue is composed primarily of two types of cells called lymphocytes or white cells. One type is called B-cell and the other is called T-cell. Both types, under normal conditions, have the job of protecting the body from microorganisms, contributing to the effectiveness of the immune system.
There are two types of Hodgkin's disease that affect the formation of B cells, both are cancerous. It is important to determine which type is affecting the patient, in order to determine which procedure should be followed (TheAmericanCancerSociety, 2016).
Classical Hodgkin's disease
It is the most common variety, affecting 95% of patients suffering from Hodgkin's disease or lymphoma.
The cells, in this case, are called Reed- Sternberg cells (Thanks to the doctors who described them for the first time) and are B cells that present some abnormality and have a different appearance to the cancerous cells coming from a tumor mother by process of metastasis.
Reed-Sternberg cells are much larger than normal lymphocytes and are usually located in lymph nodes surrounding normal immune tissue, limiting their protective action of the body.
Hodgkin's disease with predominance of nodular lymphocytes
This type of disease affects approximately 5% of patients suffering from Hodgkin's disease.
It is characterized because the B cells grow in an excessive way and take the appearance of popcorn or inflated corn. It is a variation of Reed-Sternberg cells that primarily affects the lymph nodes located in the neck and armpits. Women are more susceptible than men to this disease.
Removal of lymph nodes
When lymph nodes are removed because of the presence of cancer cells, there is a risk of leaving the body without a lymph drainage mechanism in the operated areas.
Many lymphatic vessels reach a blind spot where the cyst used to be located and may give way to possible lymphoedema or accumulation of lymph at a point site. This problem can be for life.
As more lymph nodes are removed, more lymphedema is likely to develop.
Humans have up to 600 lymph nodes distributed primarily between the chest, armpits, neck, groin and abdomen. The absence of nodules at one of these points can be detrimental to the distribution of lymph by the body.
On the other hand, the lymph flows from the walls of the capillaries irrigating all the cells located in the tissues of the body. In this way, it cleanses any residue from the body, such as the carbon dioxide accumulated in the cells. This substance also contains white cells that help fight infections.
References
- (April 14, 2015). American Cancer Society. Retrieved from"Lymph Nodes and Cancer: cancer.org".
- Cooper, G.M. (1993). Invasion and Metastasis: The Critical Steps in Tumor Development. In G. M. Cooper, The Cancer Book: A Guide to Understanding the Causes, Prevention, and Treatment of Cancer (pp. 19-22). Subdury, MA: Jones and Barttlet Publishers.
- Education, D. (October 29, 2014). Cancer Research UK. Retrieved from The Lymphatic System and Cancer: cancerresearchuk.org.
- Freedman, J. (2006). The Science of Lymphoma. In J. Freedman, Lymphoma: Current and Emerging Trends in Detection and Treatment (pp. 17-19). New York: The Rosen Publishing Group.
- Leong, S. P. (2009). 2. Tumor Lynphangiogenesis promote lymph node metastasis. In S. P. Leong, From Local Invasion to Metastatic Cancer: Involvement of Distant Sites (page 256). Houston: Human Press.
- MacGil, M. (January 8, 2016). Medical News Today. Retrieved from"Lymphoma: Causes, Symptoms and Research: medicalnewstoday.com.
- (May 23, 2016). The American Cancer Society. Retrieved from"What Is Hodgkin Disease?: cancer.org.