Cancer Types And The Cells They Originate From

Lymphoma

Cancer that starts in an individual's lymphocytes, the cells in the immune system responsible for fighting off pathogens, is referred to as lymphoma. Cancerous lymphocytes that form and grow in the body of a lymphoma patient can travel throughout the lymphatic system and bloodstream. These cancerous lymphocytes can spread to other large organs in the lymphatic system such as the spleen, liver, bone marrow, and lungs. Small lymphocytic lymphoma is a form of cancer similar to chronic lymphocytic leukemia, but it has a different presentation. Hodgkin lymphoma is a rare form of lymphoma associated with Reed-Sternberg cells, a characteristic type of enlarged abnormal lymphocyte. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is the classification given to any form of lymphoma in a patient that does not fit into the small lymphocytic lymphoma distinction and does not involve Reed-Sternberg cells. Diagnostic tests of a patient's blood and biopsies of the lymphatic tissues are utilized in the diagnosis of lymphoma.

Continue reading to reveal another type of cancer and how it gets its name now.