Today is World Lymphoma Awareness Day, a day dedicated to raising awareness about the danger of this type of cancer.

The presence of a lump that does not cause pain, in the neck, underarm, or groin, can be a sign alerting the presence of lymphoma, which is a type of cancer that if not detected early can lead to fatal consequences.

“This disease presents with fever, night sweats, weight loss, tiredness, and/or itchy skin. That is why people should be aware of any of these alterations to go to the specialist immediately”, says Dr. Mauricio Leon Rivera, Surgical Oncologist of our clinic.

According to the specialist, the lymphoma is a type of cancer that develops when there is an error in the production of lymphocytes, white blood cells that help fight infection. “There are two types of lymphoma, Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin. The first is characterized by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells; the second includes a heterogeneous group of cancers of the immune system characterized by their quick growth”, he adds.

Every year in our country, around 2,000 new cases of lymphoma are diagnosed and in Metropolitan Lima the incidence rate of Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is 10 cases per 100,000 healthy inhabitants, representing 5% of all malignant neoplasm.

The basic treatment for this pathology is chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, and in recent years also immunotherapy with monoclonal antibodies, which have made it possible to improve survival rates preventing the advance of the disease.

Dr. Leon warns that, if not treated on time, some types of lymphoma may lead to fatal consequences in a short time; therefore, it is important to detect them in an early stage to increase the chances of cure.

It is worth mentioning that on September 15 World Lymphoma Awareness Day is celebrated, an initiative of the Lymphoma Coalition that aims to increase knowledge about this disease, allowing early recognition of some of its symptoms for early diagnosis.

Dr. Mauricio León
Surgical Oncologist at Clínica Ricardo Palma