Non-Hodgkin’s and Hodgkin’s Lymphoma have some similarities but the differences make one of these forms of this cancer more dangerous. The two cancers are both forms of Lymphoma. Lymphoma is the cancer of the white blood cells. These are the blood cells that fight off infection in your body. The specific name for these white blood cells is Lymphocytes.
Disease Overview
Both of these diseases are cancers that affect the immune system. They have similar symptoms of the immune system. Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is the more common form of cancer. It is the sixth most common cancer among the male population. There are actually thirty different types of this cancer. The Non-Hodgkin’s form is much more dangerous and life threatening than the HL.
In the Non-Hodgkin form the cancer is much more aggressive and affects the psychological outlook of the person who has this kind of cancer. This form of cancer can be also more life threatening than the Hodgkin lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is more likely to be diagnosed in later stages. This cancer is diagnosed in stage 4 forty percent of the time.
While cancer has decreased overall Non-Hodgkin’s has increased overall. The location of the cancer is basically the same for both types of cancer. The initial stage for both starts above the collarbone. Both types of the cancer starts in the lymph node area.
Characteristics
The way to determine the differences in the two types of lymphoma is to look at the lymph node tissue under a microscope. If when looked under the microscope and the tissue shows a certain kind of cell present then doctors can conclude it is Hodgkin’s disease. While the symptoms are somewhat similar the location of the tumors is different. The Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is found in the abdomen area. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is usually found in the chest area.
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is less common in people under fifty but it can affect children in a substantial percentage. The location of the start of the disease is different for the two lymphomas. The Hodgkin’s Lymphoma starts in the lymph glands of the neck region. It can spread to other lymph node areas like spleen or lungs.
The Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma can begin in a variety of lymph gland regions depending on the type of cancer cells. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma has symptoms of fever and NHL does not have these symptoms for the most part. Hodgkin’s disease is much easier to treat and has a successful rate of survival of over ninety percent. Hodgkin’s has a much higher survival rate than NHL. The type of Non-Hodgkin’s is going to make a big difference also in the survival rate. This is because some NHL can have more aggressive types. It seems the Non-Hodgkin’s is the more dangerous cancer and can be much more aggressive than HL.