TCell Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Fortunately, I have been lucky enough to not have any personal experiences or connections with cancer. But something that reminds all of us that anyone can go through the devastating destruction that is cancer is when we hear of celebrities who have struggled or are presently struggling with it. I have chosen to investigate the case of the famous Laurence Tureaud a.k.a. “Mr. T”. Mr. T is most famous for appearing in The A-Team, Rocky III, and his brief career in professional wrestling. He was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoma CD3, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in 1995 after noticing a small sore on his ear. After receiving radiation therapy for four weeks, his cancer was gone. Unfortunately, eleven months later it came back bringing many other small sores all over his body. He continued to battle cancer for several years and luckily he is a 12 year survivor at this point.

Symptoms of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Swollen lymph nodes in neck, armpits, or groin
Abdominal pain or swelling
Chest pain, coughing, or trouble breathing
Fatigue
Fever
Night sweats
Weight loss
Sores
Itchiness

While Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is really a diverse group of different types of lymphoma, they are all related in that they are cancers of the blood that start in your lymphatic system, which includes your spleen, thyroid, and tumors form from lymphocytes, a kind of white blood cell. The lymph vessels that transport the white blood cells into the bloodstream are the culprits who get the mutated lymphocytes to spread through the body. They then form blood cell tumors from the mutated lymphocytes. Epstein-Barr virus, Human T-cell leukemia virus, Helicobacter pylori, HHV-8, Hepatitis C virus have been associated with causing some types of lymphoma. Some chemicals, like polychlorinated biphenyls, diphenylhydantoin, dioxin, and phenoxy herbicides can cause them. Even medical treatments,