Can lymphoma cause head and neck cancer: Doctors reveal what the latest research says
Lymphoma is a term for a group of blood cancers in the lymphatic system—a network of tissues, vessels, and organs that help the body fight infection. It is considered a blood cancer because the condition starts in white blood cells (lymphocytes) in the lymphatic system. There are two types of lymphoma—Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but also 70 subtypes of lymphoma.
TL;DR
- Lymphoma is a blood cancer originating in the lymphatic system, with Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's being the main types.
- Actor Dave Coulier was diagnosed with HPV-related tongue cancer, over a year after a stage three non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosis.
- Doctors state that lymphoma doesn't directly cause head and neck cancers; however, survivors have a higher risk of other primary cancers.
- Factors contributing to increased risk of secondary cancers in lymphoma patients include immunosuppression, shared risk factors (like HPV), and treatment effects.
- Patients with lymphoma are more than three times as likely to develop secondary cancers, including head and neck cancers, compared to the general population.