Brasilia (DF) – Cancer is a disease characterized by the uncontrolled growth of malignant cells. According to information from the Ministry of Health, there are more than 100 types of the disease, including lymphoma, one of the 10 most common in Brazil. This week of September is marked not only by World Lymphoma Awareness Day (15), but also by World Marrow Donor Day (17). Marrow transplants are performed to treat diseases that affect blood cells, such as lymphoma.

Specialists from the Brazilian Hospital Services Company (Ebserh) reinforce the importance of the subject and unite in a series of information and hope in the fight against the disease. “The earlier the diagnosis, the better the chances of responding to treatment,” says Beatriz Esperança, hematologist and hematotherapist at the Maria Aparecida Pedrossian University Hospital, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul (Humap-UFMS). Lymphoma is a type of cancer that begins in the lymphatic system, a fundamental part of the immune system that is made up of lymph nodes, glands and tissues.

There are two main types: non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). HL occurs in 20% of cases and is most common in people between the ages of 15 and 39. It also occurs more uniformly from one group of lymph nodes to another. NHL spreads in an unorganized manner through the lymphatic system and can be found anywhere in the body. The types of cells that make up this lymphoma are: B, T, non-B, and non-T (NK-cell) lymphomas.

According to information from MS, some symptoms From the disease: Night sweats. Enlarged spleen. Unexplained weight loss. Fever. Itchy skin. Fatigue. Enlarged lymph nodes (nodes), especially in the neck, groin, and armpit area.

“Lymphoma has a reasonably good cure rate with chemotherapy alone, with about 60 to 70% of patients being cured,” said Gustavo Fischer, a hematologist at Santa Maria University Hospital (HUSM-UFSM). This happens mainly if the patient is diagnosed early.

“Having the population adequately informed and having access to health services is an important step towards detecting the disease as early as possible, even in the early stages, which increases the chance of curing this disease,” affirms Alessandro Almeida, hematologist in charge of bone marrow transplantation at the Professor Edgar Santos University Hospital of the Federal University of Bahia (Hupes-UFBA).

The importance of bone marrow

In addition to chemotherapy, other treatments can be used in the search for a cure: immunotherapy, radiotherapy and bone marrow transplantation. As for treatment using bone marrow, many transplants are autologous, meaning that the stem cells are collected from the patient himself. “There are rare cases in which there is an indication for an allogeneic transplant (when someone else donates bone marrow),” explains hematologist Beatrice.

But there are more aggressive cases of the disease that require the patient to have a donor, as Gustavo Fischer highlights. “The bone marrow works almost like a fingerprint, each person has their own fingerprint, and no one is identical, except for people who are twins. So, the more people in the bank, the greater the chance of finding someone compatible with the patient who needs a transplant.

Donating saves lives.

A bone marrow transplant is a procedure that “consists of replacing deficient bone marrow with normal bone marrow cells, with the aim of reconstituting healthy tissue,” he said. National Cancer Institute (INCA).

There are two types of donors: related (family) donors and unrelated donors. “Among related donors, it is sufficient to have the desire to donate and not to have any clinical condition in which the donation could harm them or the recipient. Among unrelated donors, in Brazil, it is necessary to be between 18 and 35 years old and to be in good health,” adds Alessandro.

In Brazil, the body responsible for searching for donors is National Registry of Voluntary Bone Marrow Donors (RIDOME)was created in 1993. It serves as a data bank about people who want to donate bone marrow. To do this, the donor must go to the blood center to register with Redome and have a blood sample collected. HLA typing test (Human Leukocyte Antigen). Currently, Redome has 5,784,307 registered donors, and the average number of patients looking for an unrelated donor is 650. “The more volunteers we have registered in REDOME, the more chances we have for a cure for people who are being treated,” concludes Beatriz Esperança.

About Ibsir

Created in 2011, linked to the Ministry of Education, IBSER currently manages 45 federal university hospitals, supporting and enhancing their activities through excellent management. As hospitals linked to federal universities, these units have specific characteristics: they serve patients from the Unified Health System (SUS) while supporting the training of health professionals and the development of research and innovation.

Written by: Elizabeth Souza, with review by Daniel Moraes
Social Communication Coordination/Ibsira