Haematology 12 - Lymphoma 2 Flashcards
What are the investigations you would do for suspected lymphoma?
**remember about HIV and HTLV tests which can be contributing factors to certain subtypes of lymphoma
**also HBV as treatment for lymphoma (immunosuppression) can lead to reactivation of the virus
What are the clinical presentations of lymphoma?
- painless lymphadenopathy, enlarging
—> palpable mass OR
–> extrinsic compression of tubes - bile duct, ureter, bowels etc.
- infiltration of organs eg CNS, skin, liver failure
- recurrent infections- tumour of immune cells
- constitutional symptoms if rapidly enlarging and spreading
How do Reed Sternberg cells appear on the blood film?
Giant cell surrounded by reactive eosinophils
**look like owl’s eyes
Classification of lymphoid malignancies
What is the age distribution of Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
20-29: mostly affects females. mostly of the nodular sclerosing type
Elderly: M=F
Classification of HL
Key one is “nodular sclerosing” classical HL- this is the one that affects young people more
What are the symptoms of Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
Painless lymphadenopathy, that becomes painful on drinking alcohol
Constitutional B symptoms- fever, night sweats, weight loss
If advanced lymphadenopathy, may –> obstructive symptoms
What is the cause of constitutional B symptoms in lymphoma?
Hyper-catabolic state
Which investigation is used to diagnose hodgkin’s lymphoma, and which diagnosis is used for staging?
Diagnosis: LN biopsy
Staging: FDG-PET
Recall the different stages of lymphoma (Ann arbor staging)
I: one group of nodes
II: >1 group of nodes, on one side of the diaphragm
III: Nodes on both sides of the diaphragm
IV: extranodal spread
Then:
A: no B symptoms
B: one/ any of fever/ weight loss/ night sweats
**initially developed for Hodkin’s lymphoma but also now used in NHL
Which subtype of lymphoma is most likely to affect young women?
Nodular sclerosing classical Hodgkin’s
*usually presents with a mediastinal mass
What is the mainstay of tretament for HL?
Chemotherapy.
aka ABVD chemotherapy
A- adriamycin
B- bleomycin
C- vincristine
D- dacarbazine
can give radiotherapy as an adjunct but it is not sufficient on its own.
What type of chemotherapy is used in Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
ABVD
**Hodkin’s lymphoma is the first cancer that was treated with chemotherapy
After how many cycles of chemotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma should the FDG-PET be repeated to check response?
2
What is the risk of giving radiotherapy for Hodgkin’s lymphoma?
It produces a lot of collateral damage (eg risk of breast cancer, leukaemia/MDS, lung or skin cancer), and when given alongside chemotherapy increases the risk of secondary malignany significantly
What is the prognosis of hodkin’s lymphoma?
- in the first 10 years the greatest risk is posed by recurrence of lymphoma
- in the next few years the greatest risk is posed by:
a) secondary malignancy
b) cardiovascular events
i. e. the consequences of giving high dose chemotherapy and radiotherapy
What are the most common forms of NHL?
- Follicular NHL - low grade
- Diffuse large B cell - high grade
Recall the clinical severity of 3 different NHL subtypes
- Burkitt’s lymphoma: very aggressive
- Follicular lymphoma- indolent
- Gastric MALT- responsive to antibiotic therapy
Recall 4 prognostic markers in NHL
Performance status
- LDH and B2 microglobulin
- HIV serology
- Hep B serology