The 3 Differences Between Leukemia and Lymphoma (Explained)

Cancer is, both due to the fact that each year more than 18 million cases of this pathology are diagnosed in the world and because of the psychological impact it has on the patient and their loved ones, as well as the mortality associated with it, the most feared disease in the world. And although today, thanks to advances in Oncology Medicine, "Cancer" is not synonymous with "death", logically continues to cause great fear.

And it is that at the end of the day, it is a disease that, although it is treatable, is still not curable. All this generates, as we say, a climate of fear that, as always happens, is associated with ignorance. It is not surprising, then, that we have many doubts about the biological nature of cancer and, above all, about the differences between clinical terms that are beyond popular knowledge.

And it is precisely in this context that the protagonists of today's article come into play: leukemia and lymphoma. Leukemia is a type of cancer that develops in the blood, affecting blood cells; while lymphomas are a type of cancer that, in their case, affects the lymphatic system. But, as is normal, they are diseases that we tend to confuse.

Therefore, in today's article, hand in hand with the most prestigious scientific publications and with the desire that you find answers to all the questions you may have about this topic, we are going to explore the clinical nature of both pathologies now. investigate, in the form of key points, the main differences between leukemia and lymphomas.

• We recommend you read: "The 3 differences between Anemia and Leukemia (explained)"

What is leukemia? And a lymphoma?

Before going in depth and presenting the main differences between the two diseases, it is interesting (and also important) that we put ourselves in context and define, individually, these two types of cancer. So let's see what exactly is leukemia and what is lymphoma. Let us begin.

Leukemia: what is it?

Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood, the red liquid tissue that is distributed throughout the body through blood vessels. Thus, leukemia is an oncological disease that develops in the circulatory or cardiovascular system, although it begins in the bone marrow, a type of soft tissue located inside the bones and where the physiological process of hematopoiesis takes place. which consists of the formation and maturation of blood cells.

Like any type of cancer, leukemia develops when, due to mainly genetic factors, the cells of our body, in this case red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, begin to divide in a controlled way and lose their functionality, something that results in the decrease in functional blood cells.

With 437,000 new cases diagnosed annually in the world, leukemia is the fourteenth most common type of cancer and is also the most common childhood cancer. And it is that although the incidence in adults continues to be higher, approximately 30% of the cases of tumors in the child population under 16 years of age correspond to leukemia, with an especially high incidence in the age group 2-5 years .

Leukemia causes a low blood cell count, so the symptoms will derive from a decrease in the number of red blood cells (the cells that carry oxygen, so there will be problems in the oxygenation of the body), white blood cells (the immune cells , so the person will experience a weakening of the immune system and, therefore, have a greater risk of suffering from infections) and platelets (the cells that allow blood clotting, so there will be problems stopping bleeding).

And this symptomatology, although it depends on many factors and many times no clinical signs even appear even in advanced stages (something problematic for its early detection and, therefore, application of treatment when the chances of success are greater), usually consists of fever ( is one of the few cancers that causes fever), unexplained weight loss, recurrent infections, bleeding, bone pain, petechiae (appearance of red spots on the skin), fatigue, sweating, swollen lymph nodes, etc.

In addition, it must be borne in mind that since it is a cancer that develops in the blood, not only is surgery not a viable treatment option, but these cancer cells can spread very simply through the blood circulation, being able to metastasize to vital organs. Hence, although radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, bone marrow transplantation, or a combination of several make leukemia a highly treatable cancer, its treatment is complex and the survival rate, which ranges from 35% to 90%, depends on many factors.

Lymphoma: what is it?

A lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymph, the whitish or transparent liquid tissue that carries white blood cells (it does not have red blood cells or platelets) and does not travel through the bloodstream or is pumped by the heart, but instead is transported by the lymphatic vessels. Thus, lymphomas are those malignant tumors that develop in the lymphatic system.

In this sense, a lymphoma is that cancer that affects the lymphatic system, the organism's network specialized in the transport of lymph, a fundamental means in the immune response since its cellular content is limited to white blood cells, and that is born from the union of organs (there are more than 600 lymph nodes throughout the body, which produce white blood cells when there is an infection) and tissues specialized in the synthesis and transport of said fluid.

Therefore, and in a more technical way, we can define a lymphoma as the malignant proliferation of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Of these, we have B lymphocytes, which are specialized in synthesizing antibodies, TCD4 + lymphocytes, which stimulate the activity of B lymphocytes, and CD8 + T lymphocytes, which generate substances that destroy pathogenic microorganisms. Well, as in any type of cancer, a lymphoma is based on the uncontrolled division and loss of functionality of, in this case, the lymphocytes that are distributed throughout the lymphatic system.

The main symptoms of lymphomas are the following: fever, unexplained weight loss, constant fatigue, painful swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, groin or armpits, increased sensitivity to alcohol, recurrent infections, night sweats, etc. Even so, it must be borne in mind that there are more than 60 different types of lymphomas, each with clinical peculiarities. Hence it has been necessary to classify them.

These lymphomas can be divided into two large groups, Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's., which are differentiated by the observation of Reed-Sternberg cells or the non-observation of them, respectively. On the one hand, Hodgkin lymphomas are the least common type of lymphatic cancer, occurring mainly in young patients between the ages of 25 and 30 and having a survival rate of approximately 85%.

And on the other hand, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, those that occur without the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells, are the most common type of lymphatic cancer, since up to 90% of diagnosed lymphomas correspond to this group. In fact, with its 509,000 new cases diagnosed annually in the world, it is the twelfth most common type of malignant tumor. If it has not metastasized, its survival rate is about 72%.

How is lymphoma different from leukemia?

After extensively analyzing its clinical bases, I am sure that the differences between the two oncological diseases have become more than clear. Even so, in case you need (or simply want) to have the information with a more visual and summarized nature, we have prepared the following selection of the main differences between leukemia and lymphomas in the form of key points.

1. Leukemia is a blood cancer; a lymphoma, a lymphatic cancer

The most important difference. Leukemia is a type of cancer that develops in the blood, consisting of a malignant proliferation of blood cells and thus being a cancer that affects the circulatory or cardiovascular system. Thus, we understand leukemia as "cancer of the blood".

In contrast, lymphomas do not develop in the blood, but rather in the lymph, a liquid tissue rich in white blood cells that is the transport medium of the lymphatic system. Thus, lymphomas are malignant proliferations of lymphocytes, consisting of tumors that develop in the lymph nodes of the body.

2. Leukemia affects red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets; lymphomas, only white blood cells

Leukemia begins to develop in the bone marrow, the soft tissue inside the bones where hematopoiesis takes place. Therefore, this type of blood cancer will affect all cells of the blood. And this includes, in addition to white blood cells (which will cause a decrease in immune efficiency), red blood cells (there will be oxygenation problems and carbon dioxide removal) and platelets (there will be blood clotting problems).

In contrast, lymphomas, by developing in the lymph, a liquid medium whose cellular component is limited exclusively to white blood cells (there are no red blood cells or platelets), only these types of cells will be affected. As we have said, lymphomas are malignant proliferations of lymphocytes.

3. The incidence of lymphomas is higher than that of leukemia

It is true that leukemia is the most common type of childhood cancer, but overall, the incidence of lymphomas is higher than that of leukemia. And it is that while leukemia occupies the fourteenth position in the list of most frequent cancers with 437,000 new cases diagnosed annually, only non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (we should add the 10% corresponding to Hodgkin's) already have a higher incidence, occupying, with 509,000 new cases diagnosed, the twelfth position for most common cancers.