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Lymphatism

Condition Overview:

Lymphatism: Diseases of lymph or lymph vessels

Lymphatic tissue includes the lymph nodes and related organs that are part of the body's immune and blood-forming systems. The lymph nodes are small, bean-shaped organs found underneath the skin in the neck, underarm, and groin. They are also found in many other places in the body such as inside the chest, abdomen, and pelvis.

Lymph nodes make and store infection-fighting white blood cells, called lymphocytes. They are connected throughout the body by lymph vessels (narrow tubes similar to blood vessels). These lymph vessels carry a colorless, watery fluid (lymphatic fluid) that contains lymphocytes. Eventually the lymphatic fluid is emptied into the blood vessels in the left upper chest.

Other components of the lymphatic system include the spleen, the bone marrow, and the thymus. The spleen is an organ in the left side of the upper abdomen that is composed primarily of mature and immature lymphocytes. It removes old cells and other debris from the blood. The bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside the bones that creates new red and white blood cells including lymphocytes. The thymus is a small organ in the chest that is important in developing a special lymphocyte called a T cell.

Because lymphatic tissue is present in many parts of the body, Hodgkin's disease can start almost anywhere, but most often starts in lymph nodes in the upper part of the body. The most common sites are in the chest, neck, or under the arms. Hodgkin's disease enlarges the lymphatic tissue, which can then cause pressure on important structures. It can spread through the lymphatic vessels to other lymph nodes. This is the major way it spreads. Most Hodgkin's disease spreads to nearby lymph node sites in the body, not distant ones. It rarely gets into the blood vessels and can spread to almost any other site in the body, including the liver and lungs.

Lymph nodes enlarge for many reasaons. Although Hodgkin's disease is one cause, enlarged lymph nodes are more commonly a result of the body fighting an infection. Your doctor can help determine the cause.

Hodgkin's disease is a malignant lymphoma (cancer of lymphatic tissue). There are two kinds of lymphomas: Hodgkin's disease (named after Dr. Thomas Hodgkin who first recognized it in 1832) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. For information on non-Hodgkin's lymphomas see the document "Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas".

The cancer cells in Hodgkin's disease are called Reed-Sternberg cells, after the two doctors who first described them in detail. Under a microscope they look different from cells of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and other cancers. Most scientists now believe that Reed-Sternberg cells are a type of malignant B lymphocyte. Normal B lymphocytes are the cells that make antibodies that help fight infections.