Characteristics of malignant lymphoma

  Malignant lymphoma is a solid tumor that originates from lymphohematopoietic tissue. According to its pathological characteristics, it can be divided into two types: Hodgkin’s disease (HD) and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Its clinical characteristics are painless, progressive lymphatic tissue hyperplasia, especially in superficial lymph nodes, often accompanied by splenomegaly, anemia, fever or cachexia. Although malignant lymphoma is relatively rare in China, the number of new cases has been increasing year by year in recent years, and its morbidity and mortality rate ranks ll-13th among all malignant tumors. The disease can occur at any age, but the majority of patients are young adults, more men than women, and more urban than rural areas. The natural survival of the disease without treatment is 6-18 months, but also up to several years. If treated properly, the 5-year survival rate of patients with stages 1-3 can reach 80% on average, and Hodgkin’s disease has a better prognosis than non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  The etiology of malignant lymphoma has not yet been fully elucidated. It is generally believed that its development is related to viral and bacterial infections, immune deficiency, certain autoimmune disorders, ionizing radiation, and genetic factors. Local manifestations: 1. Enlarged lymph nodes: including superficial and deep lymph nodes, characterized by progressive, painless, hard and pushable enlarged lymph nodes that do not adhere to each other in the early stage, but can fuse in the late stage, and anti-inflammatory and anti-tuberculosis treatment is ineffective. Superficial lymph nodes are more common in the neck, followed by the axillae and the abdominal sulcus. Deeply, mediastinum and para-abdominal aorta are common.  Local compression symptoms caused by enlarged lymph nodes: mainly refers to deep lymph nodes, such as enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes, which can cause dysphagia due to compression of esophagus, superior vena cava syndrome due to compression of superior vena cava, cough, chest tightness, dyspnea and cyanosis due to compression of trachea, etc.  Systemic symptoms: 1, fever: mostly between 38-39 degrees.  2. Wasting: more than 10% of the original body weight can be reduced within 6 months.  3. Night sweats: sweating at night or after sleep.  Extra-nodal lesions: Lymphoma can invade all tissues and organs of the body. For example, liver and spleen infiltration may cause hepatosplenomegaly; gastrointestinal infiltration may cause abdominal pain, bloating, intestinal obstruction and bleeding; lung and pleural infiltration may cause cough and pleural effusion; bone infiltration may cause bone pain and pathological fracture; skin infiltration may cause skin scratching, subcutaneous nodules; tonsil and mouth, nose and pharynx infiltration may cause dysphagia, nasal congestion and nasal button; nervous system infiltration may cause spinal cord compression and cranial neuropathy, etc.  The most critical test to diagnose malignant lymphoma is to take the enlarged lymph nodes or tumor tissue for pathomorphological examination, which can determine whether it is malignant lymphoma, and if so, whether it is Hodgkin’s disease or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Other tests include blood and urine routine, liver and kidney function, blood biochemistry, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy, X-ray, ultrasound, CT, MRI, lower limb lymphography, 67Ga scan, etc.