Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects a particular type of white blood cell called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes form part of your immune system which helps to fight infections.

The lymphocytes grow and multiply uncontrollably and can live forever within the lymphatic system resulting in a type of cancer called Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Awareness of Lymphoma is very low in South

Main symptoms:

  • Painless swelling in the neck, armpit or groin
  • Night sweats
  • Unexplained fever
  • Weight loss and tiredness
  • Coughs and breathlessness

Treatment options available:

Treatment options available to a Non- Hodgkin's Lymphoma patient include:

  • chemotherapy
  • targeted therapy
  • radiation therapy
  • bone marrow transplantation


Monoclonal antibodies (an example of a targeted therapy):

Monoclonal antibodies (mAb or moAb) are monospecific antibodies that are identical because they are produced by one type of immune cell that are all clones of a single parent cell. Given (almost) any substance, it is possible to create monoclonal antibodies that specifically bind to that substance; they can then serve to detect or purify that substance. This has become an important tool in biochemistry, molecular biology and medicine. When used as medications, the generic name ends in -mab).

Statistics:

  • Around 360 000 new cases of Lymphoma are diagnosed globally each year.
  • Although Lymphoma strikes both sexes and all races, ages and socio-economic tiers, it is slightly more prevalent in men –
  • With about 166 000 (58%) of the 286 000 people diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and, 38 000 (60%) of the 62 000 people diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma worldwide being male.