World Lymphoma Awareness Day

Every year on September 15, World Lymphoma Awareness Day is observed to increase public understanding of lymphoma, a kind of cancer that is becoming more prevalent. The Lymphoma Coalition, a non-profit network organization of 83 lymphoma patient groups from 52 nations worldwide is the entity in charge of hosting the global project. World Lymphoma Awareness Day was established in the year 2004 in order to increase public knowledge of Hodgkin and non- Hodgkin lymphoma in terms of symptom recognition, early diagnosis and treatment. Lymphoma is a potentially fatal illness with a rising incidence. Nearly 1,000 people throughout the world receive a lymphoma diagnosis every day but there is still a low level of awareness of the disease's warning signs and symptoms.

          By raising awareness of lymphoma, more individuals will be able to identify its symptoms and signs resulting in earlier detection and faster treatment. Increased knowledge will also enable patients and their families to request specialized care from trained lymphoma doctors and to have access to the most recent resources for assistance, support and therapy.

What is Lymphoma?

Both B-cells and T-cells/Natural Killer cells can be affected by lymphoma, a malignancy of the white blood cells known as lymphocytes. However, they can be broadly divided into two categories: high-grade or aggressive or acute lymphoma where the cells develop and spread quickly but have a better prognosis since chemotherapy can efficiently destroy the cancer cells and low-grade or chronic lymphoma.
          Low-grade lymphoma patients frequently respond well to treatment, but because the malignancy is characterized by cycles of remission and relapse, this kind of lymphoma is typically regarded as incurable. However, people over 60 are primarily affected. This implies that the person may pass away from causes other than cancer as the quality of life is affected.

Symptoms and Treatment

It is often characterized by fatigue which becomes more severe with time as the lymphoma progresses in the body. Swelling of lymph nodes, sweating especially in the night, difficulty in breathing, unexplained weight loss are some of the major symptoms observed in the lymphoma patients.

          Chemotherapy, targeted immunotherapy and other drugs have proved to be very much efficient for the survival of the lymphoma patients if the treatment has been started sooner.

Detection and Prevention

The only way to diagnose lymphoma is to diagnose at the earliest. Ultrasound, PET scan and biopsy are the diagnostic tests which confirms this condition. Sooner the detection, better is the treatment and cure. Thus, if any of the above mentioned symptoms observed in any individual, it’s better to get the necessary medical examinations done.