What is Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma?

Anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or ALCL, is a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Like all forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, it is a cancer of the blood. It is one of the rarer forms of lymphoma, and comprises only about 10 to 20 percent of adult cases of lymphoma and 3 percent of children's cases.

Similar to the other kinds of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a cancer to the body's lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is the body's immune system, which includes the lymph nodes, spleen, liver and diaphragm. White blood cells are produced by the lymphatic system and are distributed throughout the body to combat infection or illness.

A non-Hodgkin lymphoma such as anaplastic large cell lymphoma causes the the white blood cells to reproduce at an abnormal rate. The influx of excessive white blood cells eventually causes the development of tumors in the body. While anyone can get lymphoma, it is more common in young children.

Symptoms of lymphoma can include rapid weight loss, skin lesions and night sweats. The symptom that usually leads to a diagnosis of lymphoma is a swelling of the body's lymph nodes, which are located in the neck, armpits and groin. Swelling is usually more pronounced and easy to detect in the neck.

If a doctor suspects that a patient has a form of lymphoma, he or she will usually have to perform a biopsy on the lymph nodes, removing part of them to see if the cells show signs of the disease. A diagnosis of anaplastic large cell lymphoma is made if the cells share a unique appearance that is specific to this particular form of the disease. ALCL is much more aggressive than other forms of the disease, so usually treatment begins immediately after diagnosis.

Treatment for all forms of lymphoma includes both chemotherapy and radiation to kill the cancerous cells. Antibiotics may also be used to help fight off infection during this process, as both radiation and chemotherapy weaken the immune system. The long-term prognosis for people with anaplastic large cell lymphoma depends on when treatment began. In the early stages of the disease it is usually limited to just the lymph nodes. This is easier to treat and eliminate from the body, so the prognosis for a long-term recovery is usually good. If caught too late, after the disease has spread to all the body's lymph nodes or other parts of the body, such as the bone, liver or skin, then the chance for recovery is substantially less.