Mantle Cell Lymphoma Prognosis, Symptoms & Treatment

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a subtype of B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma that begins with lymph node enlargement and spreads to other tissues like bone marrow and the liver. Mantle cell lymphoma is a result of malignant transformation of a B lymphocyte, causing an accumulation of lymphocyte cells. MCL is caused by genetic disorder, the short segments of chromosome 11 and chromosome 14 change places. Treatment of non-Hodgkin lymphoma depends on the subtype of the cancer.

Symptoms of Mantle cell lymphoma include loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, night sweats, indigestion, nausea/vomiting, abdominal pain, enlarged tonsils, liver or spleen, pressure in the lower back, and fatigue. Complications involved with progression of MCL is having neutropenia, anemia, gastrointestinal, pulmonary, or central nervous system complications, and leukocytosis.

Treatment of Mantle cell lymphoma will be determined based on the staging of the disease, which is determined by examining the extent, spread and location of the cancer. A doctor may perform a blood cell count, bone marrow aspiration or biopsy to help stage the disease. There are many different types of treatments that can be used based on the prognosis of the cancer; those treatments involve drug combinations such as R-CHOP, VcR-CAP, R-CVP and more, and clinical trials.