Lymph node cancer – better known as lymph node cancer or lymphoma – is a malignant tumor disease in which lymphatic cells degenerate: some of the white blood cells (lymphocytes), which are normally involved in the immune system, have changed to such an extent that they lose their original function and multiply unchecked. At the beginning of the disease, in its early stages, it is usually a local event, since the degenerated lymphocytes are usually only found in one or more lymph nodes, where they initially persist for a limited time. Only in an advanced stage, i.e. in the course of the disease, are other areas of the body affected: by spreading or spreading (metastasis) of the degenerated cells via the lymphatic and/or blood vessel system, they spread from the affected lymph nodes to other organs and a local tumor disease turns into a malignant systemic disease. Organs such as the skin, liver, bone marrow and kidneys can then be affected. Basically, lymph gland cancer can be divided into two groups, which differ in definition, underlying cause, clinical presentation and prognosis: 25% of all lymphomas are so-called Hodgkin lymphomas (Hodgkin’s disease), the remaining 75% are non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
Stages Classification
Lymph node cancer or lymphomas can be divided into four different stages using the so-called Ann-Arbor classification:
- Stage 1: 1 lymph node region is affected or 1 extranodal focus (non lymph node-related colonization of degenerated cells) is detectable.
- Stage 2: More than 2 lymph node regions on one side of the diaphragm are affected or 1 extranodal focus + 1 lymph node region on one side of the diaphragm are detectable.
- Stage 3: More than 2 lymph node regions over both sides of the diaphragm are affected or several extranodal foci + more than 1 lymph node region over both sides of the diaphragm are detectable.
- Stage 4: organ infestation distributed over the whole body with or without lymph node involvement
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