Lymphoma

For a lay person:

Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, which is part of the immune system. The two main types are Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and they can occur at any age. The most common sign is painless swollen glands, sometimes with fevers, night sweats and weight loss.

For a trained medical person:

A heterogeneous group of malignancies of B, T or NK lymphocytes, classified by WHO criteria into Hodgkin lymphoma and many non-Hodgkin subtypes ranging from indolent to aggressive. Diagnosis requires excisional or core biopsy with immunohistochemistry and molecular studies, with PET-CT staging. Treatment depends on subtype and stage: watchful waiting for some indolent lymphomas, combination chemotherapy with or without anti-CD20 antibodies and radiotherapy, and cellular or targeted therapies for relapse.

In Chinese medicine:

Liu and Tseng's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Wind-Heat Blood Dryness; Internal Congealed Cold-Phlegm; Knotted Phlegm and Stasis; Liver and Kidney Yin Deficiency, Qi and Blood Deficiency. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: This needs specialist haematology and oncology care; Chinese medicine is adjunctive at most. See a doctor for swollen glands lasting more than a few weeks, get urgent care for fever during chemotherapy or swelling of the face and neck, and check herbs with your team.