with your doctor about your fears or concerns. { Tell your doctor if you have any side effects of treatment. { Contact your doctor if you have fatigue, fever, pain or sleep problems. { Get medical advice if you have changes in mood or feelings of sadness or depression. L page 6 I 800.955.4572 I www.LLS.org Information for Veterans. Veterans with lymphoma who were exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam may be able to get help from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. For more information call the Department of Veterans Affairs at (800) 749-8387 or visit. Information for World Trade Center Responders. People who were involved in the aftermath of the attacks of September 11, 2001, may be eligible for help from the World Trade Center Health Program. These include: responders, workers and volunteers who helped with rescue, recovery and cleanup at the World Trade Center and related sites in New York City; survivors who were in the New York City disaster area, lived, worked, or were in school in the area; and responders to the Pentagon and the Shanksville, PA crash who have been diagnosed with a blood cancer. For more information, call the World Trade Center Health Program at (888) 982-4748 or visit www.cdc.gov/wtc/faq.html. We'd Like to Hear From You. We hope this Guide helps you. Please tell us what you think at www.LLS.org/publicationfeedback. Click on LLS Disease & Treatment Publications—Survey for Patients, Family and Friends. You can view, print or order the free LLS publications Hodgkin Lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma at www.LLS.org/resourcecenter or contact our Information Specialists for copies. Want more information? L The Lymphoma Guide I page 7 Part 1 Understanding Lymphoma Lymphoma is the general term for many different types of blood cancer. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma are the two main types. About Marrow, Blood and Blood Cells The information in this section about normal blood and marrow may help you understand the lymphoma information in the rest of this Guide. Marrow is the spongy center inside of bones where blood cells are made. Blood cells are made in the marrow. They begin as stem cells. Stem cells become red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets in the marrow. Then the red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets enter the blood. Platelets form plugs that help stop bleeding at the site of an injury. Red blood cells carry oxygen around the body. When the number of red blood cells is below normal, the condition is called anemia. Anemia may make you feel tired or short of breath. It may make the skin look pale. White blood cells fight infection in the body. There are two major types of white blood cells: germ-eating cells (neutrophils and monocytes) and infection-fighting lymphocytes (B cells, T cells and natural killer [NK] cells). Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. It is mostly water. It also has some vitamins, minerals, proteins, hormones and other natural chemicals in it. L page 8 I 800.955.4572 I www.LLS.org Normal Blood Cell Count Fast Facts The ranges of blood cell counts below are for adults. They may be a little different from lab to lab and for children and teens. Red blood cell (RBC) count { Men: 4.5 to 6 million red cells per microliter of blood { Women: 4 to 5 million red cells per microliter of blood Hematocrit (the part of the blood made up of red cells) { Men: 42% to 50% { Women: 36% to 45% Hemoglobin (amount of the red cell pigment that carries oxygen) { Men: 14 to 17 grams per 100 milliliters of blood { Women: 12 to 15 grams per 100 milliliters of blood Platelet count { 150,000 to 450,000 platelets per microliter of blood White blood cell (WBC) count { 4,500 to 11,000 white cells per microliter of blood Differential (also called diff) { Shows the part of the blood made up of different types of white cells { The types of white cells counted are neutrophils, lymphocytes, monocytes, eosinophils and basophils. { Adults usually have about 60% neutrophils, 30% lymphocytes, 5% monocytes, 4% eosinophils and less than 1% basophils in the blood. L The Lymphoma Guide I page 9 The Immune System The immune system is the body’s defense against infection. The marrow and the lymphocytes