Category: Cosmetic Health

Treating Lymphoma: The Various Procedures

When you think about Lymphoma, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Lymphoma are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

Cancer is a word that most of us dread to hear from our doctors. We know that its something that should not be prejudiced lightly, plus we cant even count how many times we have seen in the movies and television about the difficulties of the disease and more often than not the sad ending that follows. So hearing you have cancer of the lymph cells, which what lymphoma really is, is more than enough to give you and your family a scare. Treating lymphoma is never easy both physically and mentally for the patient. Having the full support of the family is a good thing to have in situations like these.

Lymphoma develops when the lymph cells begin to multiply quickly beyond what is normal. This abnormal growth soon forms tumors. These lymph cells are found in blood and lymph nodes thus with the grown of the cancer cells it is only natural that the lymph nodes enlarge and manifests as painless lumps in the neck, armpits or groin.

There are two main types of lymphoma. The most common one is the Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This type is distinguished from the rest by the presence of the Reed – Sternberg cell. The spread of the cancer cells in Hodgkin’s lymphoma is more predictable and often quite limited unlike the non – Hodgkin’s lymphomas situation cancer cells develop first in changed organs before spreading suspicion the lymph nodes. The non – Hodgkins types of lymphomas are classified according low – grade, intermediate – grade or high – grade lymphomas which basically is based on how quickly the cancer cells spread.

Because of the number of types of lymphomas, the treatments vary. Often the treatments are combinations of various therapies and procedures. It is normal to have a number of treatments for a single lymphoma situation. Once the type of lymphoma has been diagnosed and identified, the closest step is to determine what stage it is in now. The kinds and extent of treatment of the cancer is dependent on the age of the patient and the degree or advance of the lymphoma. The treatment methods are either through chemotherapy, radiation therapy, antibody therapy ( or biological therapy ) and bone – marrow or stem cell transplantation. Again, combining one or two of these treatment methods is possible to address the present condition of a patient.

Chemotherapy uses various drugs to kill the tumor or cancer cells. The drugs can substitute taken orally or through injection. The advantage of using chemotherapy is that the drugs do not cause that much damage to the nearby normal and healthy cells. Radiotherapy, on the other hand, uses X – rays to kill the tumor cells. The rays damage the DNA of the cancer cells and because the DNA is damaged the cancer cells are unable to multiply which halts that growth of the cancer. Nearby healthy cells are damaged from the radiation bombardment so the goal in radiotherapy is minimize the damage to nearby, healthy cells. That is why those who undergo radiotherapy is scheduled to receive small doses of radiation at a time to lessen the damage to the cells.

Another treatment is the antibody therapy which uses antibodies which target unique molecules of a cancer cell. This attack from the antibody will eventually kill the cancer cells. And finally, the last way of treating lymphoma is by bone marrow or stem cell transplantations. These are medical procedures where the stem cells that were destroyed by high doses of chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy are replaced buttoned up surgery.
Of course, it’s impossible to put everything about Lymphoma into just one article. But you can’t deny that you’ve just added to your understanding about Lymphoma, and that’s time well spent.

The Various Stages and Common Symptoms of Lymphoma

So what is Lymphoma really all about? The following report includes some fascinating information about Lymphoma–info you can use, not just the old stuff they used to tell you.

The cancer that is known as lymphoma can be clearly understood through the staging process. This refers to how the sickness is categorized based on how big it is and what parts of the body has already been counterfeit or healed. The worse the outcome seems to be, the higher the stage of the disease could be. There are four parts or stages that the disease will be grouped into and this can only be done after the patient has undergone through series of tests and scans to rule out the body affected organs and figure parts.

To hand you an idea about the various stages that this illness is categorized, here are the elementary points about each phase.

Stage one. At this stage, the illness has unequaled been determined to be present at a group of lymph nodes. There are also cases wherein the illness was found in one statement, which is not part of the lymph system, but this eleemosynary of case is quite rare.

Stage two. The cancer is now seen in two or even more groups of the lymph nodes that can be found on the similar side as with the diaphragm, which is a lean kind of muscle that is located under the lungs. The diaphragm helps a person to breathe easily. This besides separates the chest area from the intestines.

Stage three. The cancer at this stage can typify found at the groups of lymph nodes that are situated on both sides of the diaphragm. There are some cases wherein the adjacent organs are also involved. This also becomes part of stage III when a spleen is seen after the sickness has been detected.

Stage four. This is the terminal stage wherein the lung substance is already affected. This is also the phase when the bone soul and liver are complicated in the disease since well because the unsimilar organs that are far from the originally infected parts.

Learned are myriad other factors that can affect the impact of the treatments that are done with people that are suffering from the disease, like the age of the patient and the size of the illness. If you are in the advanced stage of this sickness, you must not lose hope because there are several cases that have been healed eventually even after suffering from the higher stages.

From the early signs or when you are starting to feel like well-qualified is something wrong, do not hesitate and consult with a doctor. To help you find out if you have the symptoms that are related with the disease, here are some of the most common ones. The most common and also the most important symptoms are the lumps on your neck, groin and armpits. These are painless, which is why there are many people who disregard these easily and only start seeking help when other symptoms start to come up.

The other symptoms that you may feel once you have the enlarged lymph nodes include loss of appetite, weight loss, fever, excessive glowing, especially at night and itchiness. You may also feel weak as the cancer cells of the lymphoma start spreading and grow bigger.
This article’s coverage of the information is as complete as it can be today. But you should always leave open the possibility that future research could uncover new facts.

The Types of Non – Hodgkins Lymphoma

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you’ll find that the subject of Lymphoma is certainly no exception.

Lymphomas are cancers of the lymph system which ironically is part of the bodys defense mechanism to fight off infections and diseases. But sometimes the abnormal growth of the healthy lymphatic cells causes the tissues to mass up creating tumors and eventually becoming cancer cells. If left untreated, the cancer cells can soft break away from the tissues and begin infecting other parts of the lymphatic system and eventually moving to other organs of the body. There are essentially two kinds of lymphomas, the Hodgkins lymphoma and non – Hodgkins lymphoma.

Hodgkins lymphoma is characterized by the presence of Reed – Sternberg cells. Other lymphomas do not contain these cells so the rest of the lymphomas were classified as non – Hodgkin’s lymphoma or NHL. There are a number of sub – types of non – Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Each are quite distinct targeting specific age groups aside from having unique forms.

One kind of NHL is the lymphoblastic lymphoma or LBL which commonly occurs in children. In fact about 30 % of documented cases of lymphomas in descendants have been classified as lymphoblastic lymphomas. LBL is very aggressive kind of NHL and has caused quite a number of deaths in the past. But because of modern medicine and treatment techniques, LBL patients have better odds of surviving the countdown.

Unlike LBL, the diffuse histiocytic lymphoma type or DHL is a slow growing cancer. And because it is slow – growing the cancer is quite hard to detect. Also, slick are times footing the cancer reappears after treatment.

Another kind of NHL appears closer to the bodys surface. The cutaneous T – cell lymphoma or CTLC is a kind of lymphoma that affects the skin. What happens is that the white blood cells of the skin become cancerous. At first, the signs are dry, scaly skin with red or dark patches. These areas of the skin also itch a lot. But as the cancer cells continue to grow, the skin cede develop highly noticeable tumors. Eventually the cancer cells enter the blood dtreak and spreads all over the body which away infects other tissues and organs.

Although not common, the mantle cell lymphoma is another kind of non – Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This cancer borders on being rare since only an estimated 5 % of people diagnosed with NHL have it. It seems that the cancer is more likely to occur in masculinity 50 years old and older. The cancer starts off as a slow growing lymphoma but can suddenly become aggressive in later stages.

Doctors have made 4 classifications or stages of non – Hodgkin’s lymphoma which basically indicates how fast and how far the cancer cells have spread. Transaction 1 is when the cancer cells are grouped in lymph node or organ of the body. In stage 2 the cancer has spread to two or more groups of lymph nodes or organs on the same side of your diaphragm. Stage 3 is where the cancer cells have infected organs on both sides of the diaphragm and finally stage 4 is when the different types of non – Hodgkins lymphoma have gone beyond the lymphatic system and infecting other organs like the liver, bones, and lungs.
Hopefully the sections above have contributed to your understanding of Lymphoma. Share your new understanding about Lymphoma with others. They’ll thank you for it.

The Essence of PET Scans in Determining and Healing Lymphoma

The Essence of PET Scans in Determining and Healing Lymphoma

This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding Lymphoma. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about Lymphoma.

The malignant cells that cause lymphoma begin at the lymph nodes. Tumor develops when there is an enlargement of the node. The case is quite similar to lymphoid leukemia, but this only involves the bone marrow where the blood cells are produced through the haematopoesis process as well as the circulating ruddy.

The first description of this dreaded disease was first published in 1832. This was done by Thomas Hodgkin, thus the name of the Hodgkin type of this illness. There are many other forms that have been discovered since then and all these are now part of a large lot of illnesses that are known as hematological neoplasms.

When you start feeling that you have the symptoms, especially the enlarged lymph nodes, you should look into the help of your doctor. This event may not always mean that you are sick, but to compose affirmative that you are okay, you have to get yourself checked by a professional. The first move that doctors may require you to undergo is biopsy, the type of which will be dictated as to the organs that are infected with the disease. After it was established that you already have it, the doctors will then try to categorize from which emotions of this illness you are suffering from. Before you can be given proper treatment for your condition, your bone marrow needs to represent precise and you posses to pep through various tests and scans.

PET Scans

One of the special kinds of scans that you may be asked to undergo is PET scan or Positron Emission Tomography. This is able to impel the cancers based on the high activity that is happening on the cancer cell.

Other types of scans provide disparate results. For example, MR type and CT scans present good quality photographs of the various body parts where you answerability view the masses of tumors and swollen nodes. The problem with these scans is the fact that doctors cannot based their findings whether a person has the illness based on the size and shape of what was photographed through these processes. This is what PET scans are able to fill in the blanks.

PET scans are useful in the procedure because these are used to map out the disease on a person’s body. Along with the other kinds of tests, all results can be used to determine the stages of the disease. This is also able to find out if the lump that showed up on other tests, is cancerous or not. After the aspect was settled, the doctor can then emanate to give the necessary treatment, whether you need to go through chemotherapy or it will be best to undergo radiation.

After some cycles of chemotherapy, you have to go through the same scans and it will help to assess how bushy-tailed your body is responding to it. When the treatment has been done, you reposing have to go wrapped up PET scans to know whether the lump still has cancer cells, scar tissue or it has commenced been healed.
There’s a lot to understand about Lymphoma. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.