The difference between lymphoma and lung cancer

Lymphocytes are the health guardians of the human body. They resist the invasion of foreign bacteria and viruses, remove aging and necrotic cells in the body, and maintain the "clean and orderly" environment of the body. What is the difference between lymphoma and lung cancer?

Lymphocytes are a "multi-ethnic family" with at least three lineages: lymphocytes developed from the thymus are called T cells, lymphocytes developed from the bone marrow are called B cells, and some cells are "natural killers" called NK cells. After these lymphocytes mature, they will "leave the family and go to society" and migrate to lymph nodes and other lymphatic tissues throughout the body, including the spleen and tonsils. Bean-shaped lymph nodes are distributed in groups at the sites where lymphatic vessels converge and around veins, building a "defensive wall" to protect human health. In addition, in addition to hair, nails, and corneas, other tissues and organs such as the gastrointestinal tract, bronchi, urinary system, reproductive system, skin, thyroid, etc. are also widely distributed with a large number of lymphatic tissues, which together form a lymphatic immune system barrier to protect human health.

The nature of lymphocytes is to fight endlessly, and the lymph nodes and lymphatic tissues throughout the body are their battlefields. Therefore, from the time we are born to the end of our lives, these two main battlefields are filled with fierce fighting. Under long-term combat environments and intense work pressure, it is not surprising that lymphocytes undergo quantitative and (or) qualitative changes. The malignant transformation of lymphocytes is called lymphoma.

Lung cancer refers to a tumor formed after cells in the lungs become malignant and proliferate abnormally. These cells can originate from the bronchi, bronchoalveoli, alveoli, and even the trachea. However, as lung cancer continues to grow, it will gradually damage the patient's lung function, causing a series of symptoms such as difficulty breathing, hemoptysis, cough, and pain. Because the lungs are large in size, it is difficult to detect lung cancer in the early stages, and even when distant metastasis has occurred, the patient still does not know it.

Of course, many patients are not alert and mistakenly think that they have a common cold or bronchitis even if they have coughing and expectoration. Therefore, when lung cancer patients seek medical treatment due to symptoms, the tumor has often grown very large and even metastasized outside the lungs. Many patients come to the doctor because of headache symptoms after brain metastasis. Lung cancer can metastasize to other parts of the body through the lymphatic system and blood system.