Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL or DLBL) is a cancer of B cells, a type of white blood cell responsible for producing antibodies. It is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among adults,[1] with an annual incidence of 7–8 cases per 100,000 people per year.[2][3] This cancer occurs primarily in older individuals, with a median age of diagnosis at approximately 70 years of age,[3] though it can also occur in children and young adults in rare cases.[4] DLBCL is an aggressive tumor which can arise in virtually any part of the body,[5] and the first sign of this illness is typically the observation of a rapidly growing mass, sometimes associated with B symptoms—fever, weight loss, and night sweats.[6]

The causes of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma are not well understood. Usually DLBCL arises from normal B cells, but it can also represent a malignant transformation of other types of lymphoma or leukemia. An underlying immunodeficiency is a significant risk factor.[7] Infection with Epstein–Barr virus has also been found to contribute to the development of some subgroups of DLBCL.[8]

Diagnosis of DLBCL is made by removing a portion of the tumor through a biopsy, and then examining this tissue using a microscope. Usually a hematopathologist makes this diagnosis.[9] Several subtypes of DLBCL have been identified, each having a different clinical presentation and prognosis. However, the usual treatment for each of these is chemotherapy, often in combination with an antibody targeted at the tumor cells.[10] Through these treatments, more than half of patients with DLBCL can be cured,[11] and the overall five-year survival rate for older adults is around 58%.

Aspartame – sugar

  • The longest ever human aspartame study, spanning 22 years, found a clear association between aspartame consumption and non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and leukemia in men
  • Leukemia was associated with diet soda intake in both sexes
  • The study was done out of Harvard but after caving to pressure from industry, a press release was issued that minimized the impact of the study
  • The long-term nature of this study is crucial as one of the primary tricks companies use to hide the toxicity of their products is short-term tests of a few weeks. The longest study prior to this one was only four and half months, far too short to reveal any toxicity from chronic exposure
  • Another trick, especially with aspartame, is to use animal models and not humans. This is problematic because animals are protected from methanol toxicity, unlike humans
  • Another recent study found that compared with sucrose (regular table sugar), saccharin and aspartame caused greater weight gain in adult rats, and this weight gain was unrelated to caloric intake.

A number of animal studies have clearly documented the association between aspartame and cancer, as the study points out. But what most researchers do not appreciate is that humans are the only animals that do NOT have the protective mechanism to compensate for methanol toxicity. So evaluating methanol toxicity in animals is a flawed model for testing human toxicity.

This is due to alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH). In humans, methanol is allowed to be transported in the body to susceptible tissues where this enzyme, ADH, then converts it to formaldehyde, which damages protein and DNA that lead to the increased risk of cancer and autoimmune disease.

Interestingly, the previous AARP Diet and Health Study, which did not find an association with aspartame and cancer, used fruit juice as the control. Most are unaware that canned or bottled fruit juice is loaded with methanol that dissociates from the pectin over time and can actually cause similar problems as aspartame. This does not occur in freshly consumed fruits and vegetables, only ones that are bottled or canned. Hence no major difference could be discerned between the aspartame and the control group.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/11/07/aspartame-causes-blood-cancer.aspx