Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma Information
Lymphomas are a type of cancer that attacks the lymphatic cells in the immune system. This makes lymphoma one of the most devastating types of cancer because since, as it devastates their immune system, sufferers can’t find back against the diseases around them. There are many types of these cancers that attack a wide variety of people. The firs type discovered was “Hodgkin’s lymphoma” named after its discoverer, Thomas Hodgkin. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas are the types that were not discovered by him. One of these types of lymphomas is anaplastic large cell lymphoma.
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a type of lymphoma that attacks the T-cells in the immune system. It attacks less than three percent of adults that suffer from lymphoma but 10 to 30 percent of children with lymphoma. ALCL is considered an “aggressive” lymphoma meaning it attacks quickly and devastatingly.
ALCL attacks both lymph nodes and extranodal locations in the body, such as non-lymph node sections of the immune system. It begins in the T-cell type lymphocytes that arise in your immune system. These T-cells are infected begin creating more, dangerous cancerous cells. T-cells are one of the major disease fighting cells in the body which is what makes this disease so problematic.
Basically, T-cells travel throughout the various parts of your body quickly, as they try to fight diseases. Not only that, but the immune system is spread throughout the body. Infected cells have easy access to nearly every part of your body. These infected cells will begin infecting other cells in the immune system, causing them to spread more cancer cells and burst.
Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma Symptoms
Symptoms for anaplastic large cell lymphoma are typical for different types of lymphomas. These symptoms manifest themselves in different ways they affect the body. The patient will lose a lot of weight without even trying. They may break into sweats during the night and suffer from fevers. The lymph glands in the neck, arm pits and different parts of the body will begin to swell. Other symptoms of lymphoma include getting sick more frequently and feeling acute pains throughout your body.
One aspect of anaplastic large cell lymphoma that needs to be stressed is that it is actually a combination of two different diseases. One type of ALCL creates a form of protein called anaplastic lymphoma kinase or ALK. The other type does not create this type of protein. This discovery was only made recently and has made major changes to the treatment of this disease, as doctors and scientists were often stumped by how different individual cases of the disease would be. However, since they cause the same basic problems and symptoms, they are still grouped into the same basic classification. About 60 percent of sufferers will have the ALK protein.
Understanding the differences between these two strains is vital to your treatment. ALK positive anaplastic large cell lymphomas are much more likely to be survivable for the patient. Generally, about 80 percent of people who receive quick treatment with ALK positive status survive. Unfortunately, only 60 to 70 percent of people who have ALK negative lymphomas are likely to survive their treatment. Knowing if your ALCL is ALK positive is important as it lets your doctors know how quickly and how regularly to begin your treatment process.
How is Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma Treated
Treatments for both types of ALCL is basically the same process, as chemotherapy is still the standard method of attacking lymphoma cancers. Chemotherapy treatments will begin as soon as the doctor sees fit. Unlike other types of lymphoma cancers, there are no supplemental biological therapies available for anaplastic large cell lymphoma. This means the patient will have to rely on a strict adherence to a chemotherapy treatment alone.
Relapsing into ALCL is just as serious as relapsing with any type of cancer or lymphoma disease. It is perhaps even more serious due to the aggressive nature of this disease. Unfortunately, this means another dose of chemotherapy has to be started immediately after the patient relapses. Relapse therapy is generally more aggressive than the first treatment. More aggressive treatment is necessary as relapsing cancers often come back more aggressives. Doctors also want to make sure that the ALCL is completely destroyed this time. This can be hard on the patient’s body, causing a lot of physical and mental suffering.
However, relapsed patients often have the option of an autologus stem cell transplant. This means that stem cells for the lymph nodes will be injected directly into the nodes after they have shrunk or the cancer has gone away considerably. These stem cells often help stimulate growth of new, healthy lymph node cells that can replace the dying and infected cells. Injection with stem cells is a treatment option that is still being explored. Unfortunately, this treatment option has been found to be only about 50 percent effective for relapsed ALCL patients. A 50 percent survival rate may not seem that high but it is actually high compared to other, more aggressive types of cancer.
As you can see, anaplastic large cell lymphoma is not an automatic death sentence for the patient. Breakthroughs in understanding the disease have helped make early detection and treatment possible. Even at its worst, almost 50 percent of people survive this type of disease and that is even with a relapse. The best defense is early detection. Regular check ups can help catch any type of disease and cancer. Make sure your doctor pays close attention to your lymph nodes if you fear you are suffering from this anaplastic large cell lymphoma.