If I have lymphoma, will it be hereditary?

With the progress of the times, health has become one of the most concerned issues for modern people. Having a healthy body has become what everyone wants. Because of this issue, every parent has also begun to pay attention to the physical health of their children. So, is lymphoma hereditary? Let me introduce it to you below, hoping it can be helpful to you!

To find out whether lymphoma is hereditary, we must first know the causes of malignant lymphoma. How is malignant lymphoma caused? It is transformed from normal cells. The division of cancer cells is like a "runaway" wild horse that is difficult to control. When the number of cancer cells in human cells exceeds 1 million, some symptoms of cancer will occur. So how do normal cells mutate into cancer cells? For example, viruses, radiation, and chemicals act on the DNA in cells, causing changes in its structure or function, which leads to changes in metabolism, and changes in cell proliferation become cancer cells. DNA is the basic substance of heredity. Once DNA changes, it will be passed on to the next generation. In this sense, malignant lymphoma is related to heredity.

So, since malignant lymphoma is related to heredity, can we draw the following conclusion: the next generation of malignant lymphoma patients will all develop cancer? The answer is no. Why? Because human cells are divided into two categories: somatic cells and germ cells, such as muscle cells, bone cells, and nerve cells. There is no direct connection between the previous generation and the next generation. Only germ cells, sperm and egg cells, are the cells that communicate the genetic information between parents and children. When the DNA in the germ cells of the father and mother becomes cancerous, all cells in their children's bodies acquire this changed genetic information and may become cancerous. This is a "hereditary" cancer.

If the DNA of somatic cells changes in the acquired environment and becomes cancer cells, then the daughter cells generated by the division of this cell are still cancer cells, which will not affect the canceration of DNA in reproductive cells, so this type of cancer cell will not be inherited by children. This is a "non-hereditary" cancer. Therefore, not all malignant lymphomas are inherited. People with a family history of malignant lymphoma should realize that although they may develop malignant lymphoma due to inheritance, it does not mean that they will definitely get malignant lymphoma, and they should avoid unnecessary fear; on the other hand, they should pay more attention to cancer prevention and strive for early detection, early diagnosis and early treatment.

In life, we should not only pay attention to the causes and symptoms of lymphoma, but also prevent the occurrence of lymphoma, which is beneficial to the health of patients. At the same time, we should always pay attention to our physical condition and find the disease in time for treatment without delay, otherwise it will be too late to regret.