Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that develops when an individual’s white blood cells known as lymphocytes become cancerous. The three types of lymphocytes are the B-cells, T-cells and natural killer cells (NK cells). There are two types of lymphomas; Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are rare but develop more commonly in Asia, Caribbean and Africa after exposure to various viruses such as Epstein-Barr virus. PTCLs are an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma which grows fast and requires immediate treatment. It develops in the mature T-cells and natural killer (NK) cells. This type of lymphoma appears to commonly affect individuals over the age of 60 although children have also been diagnosed with PTCLs.
Some of the subtypes of peripheral T-cell lymphoma;
Peripheral T-cell lymphoma, Not otherwise specified (NOS)
This is the most common type of PTCL. Most of these affected individuals have nodal involvement and present extranodal sites such as the liver, gastrointestinal tract, the skin and the bone marrow. This is considered to be aggressive cancer and requires a combination therapy as treatment.
Autoimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma
This is estimated to account for around 1 to 2 percent of all the non-Hodgkin lymphoma cases. This is an aggressive lymphoma that develops in the lymph nodes and can also affect the spleen and the liver. The chemotherapy combination is the common treatment of this lymphoma but does not produce many disease-free patients. The advanced cases may require bone marrow transplant.
Anaplastic large-cell lymphoma
This is also an aggressive lymphoma that can develop on the skin and involve other organs of the body. There are several subtypes of anaplastic large-cell lymphoma each with a different mode of treatment. The prognosis of this type of lymphoma appears to be fairly good.
Symptoms
The abnormal lymphoma cells continue to grow and divide in an uncontrolled manner which can accumulate in the lymph nodes and other parts of the body such as the liver, skin and the bone marrow. The common symptoms in PTCLs are the enlarged painless lymph node under the arm, the groin and the neck. Additional symptoms can also include enlargement of other organs such as the liver or the spleen, night sweats, unintended weight loss, fever and skin rash.
Diagnosis
The diagnosed is made by a physical examination of the swollen lymph nodes and various tests. A biopsy involves a procedure to removes a sample of the enlarged lymph node that is examined under the microscope. The diagnosis can be confirmed with additional tests such as blood tests, CT, MRI and PET scan to determine how many lymph nodes are affected and if it has spread to other parts of the body.
Treatment
The treatment for PTCLs usually consists of combination chemotherapy such as CHOP, EPOCH or other multi-drug regimes. Chemotherapy is administered in cycles which involve medications on certain days followed by a break to enable the body to recover before initiating the next cycle. As most of the affected individuals relapse, the treatment may include the high-dose chemotherapy followed by the stem cell transplant to those who responded well to the chemotherapy treatment.
References
http://www.lymphoma.org/site/pp.asp?c=bkLTKaOQLmK8E&b=6300159
https://www.lls.org/sites/default/files/file_assets/peripheraltcelllymphomafacts.pdf
