Blastic NK-Cell Lymphoma
Blastic NK cell lymphoma (a.k.a. CD4+CD56+ hematodermic neoplasm) is an extremely rare, aggressive form of lymphoma that affects the natural killer cells of the immune system. Natural killer cells are beneficial specialized lymphocytes that attack viruses and tumor cells. Unlike extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, blastic NK cell lymphoma is not associated with the Epstein-Barr virus. This type of lymphoma affects mostly elderly patients, and only a few cases are documented each year. The first case was documented in 1994.
Diagnosis
Blastic NK cell lymphoma resembles leukemia as well as other cutaneous lymhomas and skin diseases and can only be diagnosed in the lab where natural killer cells are analyzed for specific markers. The CD56 antigen is present in Blastic NK cell Lymphoma, which is a known surface marker for natural killer cells.
Treatment
Blastic NK cell lymphoma is resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Aggressive chemotherapy associated with radiotherapy followed by bone marrow transplantation still produces poor outcomes.
Cancer Support Groups
SupportGroups.com builds awareness and support for Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. If you are a friend or parent of a person that has been diagnosed with Lymphoma, or you have been diagnosed with Lymphoma, you are not alone. Share personal experiences, evaluate information and get support during times of need, illness, treatment or recovery.
Dive Deeper
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Information Pages:
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphomas
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Diagnosis
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Aggressive Lymphomas
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Indolent Lymphomas
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Treatment
- Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Resources
- Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplants
Childhood Lymphoma Information Pages:
More Articles
More Articles
Amazon.com is pleased to have the Lymphoma Information Network in the family of Amazon.com associates. We've agreed to ship items...
The question ought to be what are myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), since this is a group of similar blood and bone marrow diseases that...
Merkel Cell Carcinoma (MCC) is a very rare and aggressive skin cancer that usually develops when a person is in his or her 70s. It is...
At some point, the Seattle biotech company Cell Therapeutics Inc (CTI) should earn an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records for utter and...
Site Beginnings
This site was started as Lymphoma Resource Page(s) in 1994. The site was designed to collect lymphoma...
Three papers appearing in the journal Blood and pointing towards a regulator-suppressor pill could offer hope to blood cancer...
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a third so-called Breakthrough Therapy Designation for the investigational oral...
The US Food and Drug Administration today has approved an expanded use of Imbruvica (ibrutinib) in patients with...
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has announced that it has granted "Breakthrough Therapy Designation" for the investigational agent...
According to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, a team from the University of California, San...
Pharmacyclics has announced that the company has submitted a New Drug Application (NDA) to the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for...
New research suggests that frontline radioimmunotherapy...
Gilead Sciences has announced results of the company's Phase II study of its investigational compound idelalisib, an oral inhibitor of...
