What causes lymphoma

Lymph nodes can be said to be the first line of defense of our immune system. When our body is invaded by some pathogens, the lymph nodes will swell. When the lymph nodes are swollen, not only will the patient feel pain, but if it is not treated, it may also cause lymphoma. Lymphoma is a malignant tumor that generally requires surgical removal. So what causes lymphoma?

Lymphoma is a malignant tumor originating from the lymphatic hematopoietic system, with the main manifestations of painless lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly. All tissues and organs in the body may be affected, accompanied by systemic symptoms such as fever, night sweats, weight loss, and itching. According to the tumor cells, it is divided into two categories: non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). The pathological characteristics of Hodgkin's lymphoma are that the tumor tissue contains lymphocytes, eosinophils, plasma cells and specific Reed-Steinberg cells. HL is divided into nodular lymphocyte-rich type and classical type according to the pathological type. The latter includes lymphocyte-predominant type, nodular sclerosis type, mixed cell type and lymphocyte-depleted type. The incidence of NHL is much higher than that of HL. It is the sum of a group of independent diseases with strong heterogeneity. Pathologically, it is mainly lymphocytes, tissue cells or reticular cells with different degrees of differentiation. According to the natural course of NHL, it can be classified into three major clinical types, namely highly invasive, invasive and indolent lymphomas. According to the different lymphocyte origins, it can be divided into B cell, T cell and NK cell lymphoma.

The definite cause of lymphoma has not yet been found. It is generally recognized that certain infectious factors may be related to the onset of lymphoma. For example, the most common malignant tumor in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is lymphoma, with an incidence rate 60-100 times higher than that of the general population. The onset of Hodgkin's lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma and nasal NK cell lymphoma may be related to EBV virus infection, HTLV-1 virus is closely related to adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia, Helicobacter pylori is a possible cause of gastric MALT lymphoma, hepatitis C virus is associated with splenic lymphoma, and psittacosis infection is associated with the occurrence of ocular adnexal lymphoma.

Abnormal immune function, autoimmune diseases, long-term and large-scale use of immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplantation, and aging are likely to be the important reasons for the significant increase in the incidence of lymphoma in recent years. Physical factors and chemicals such as radiation, pesticides, herbicides, hair dyes, heavy metals, and benzene may also be related to the incidence of lymphoma.

Although some families may have more than one lymphoma patient, no obvious genetic tendency or familial clustering of lymphoma has been found so far. This is a completely different concept from familial breast cancer and colon cancer.

In addition, as mentioned above, although the cause of lymphoma is likely related to some bacteria and viruses, the mechanism of tumor occurrence is very complex, and infection is only one of the external factors. At present, no discovery has been made that lymphoma has a tendency to be contagious or to occur in clusters. Therefore, as a relative of a lymphoma patient, the risk of developing lymphoma is not significantly higher than that of the general population.

However, if you have received high-dose, multiple courses of chemotherapy, especially certain drugs that affect reproductive function, it is recommended that patients avoid childbearing during treatment; for the health of the child and the happiness of the family, it is also recommended to consider childbearing 3 years after the end of treatment.