What are the first signs of lymphoma cancer?

What are the first signs of lymphoma cancer?
What are the first signs of lymphoma cancer?

Do you know? “Lymphoma Cancer” is the fifth leading cause of death in the United Kingdom! Yes, it is true. This makes it all the more necessary to know about it. We at BloodCancerCure aim to answer all your questions.

What is Lymphoma Cancer?

Cancer that starts from the lymphatic system is called “lymphoma Cancer”. The lymphatic system consists of lymph nodes and organs such as thymus, spleen etc. The lymphatic system plays a role in maintaining the immunity of an individual.
The lymphoma cancer is the tumor of the white blood cells in the bone marrow, lymph nodes and other components of the lymphatic system. There is no benign form of lymphoma cancer as it tends to spread to all parts of the body.
The difference between a lymphoma cancer and leukemia lies in its origins. A lymphoma cancer characteristically develops in lymphatic tissue mainly the lymph nodes of the thymus gland. On the other hand, leukemia is a type of blood cancer which first starts in bone marrow.

There are many subtypes of the Lymphoma Cancer but the two most common of them are Hodgkin’s and Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. 

What are the signs and symptoms of Lymphoma Cancer?

Depending upon the subtypes of cancer, the spread and the stage of the disease, it could have a variety of symptoms such as:

•    Fever and Chills
•    Unintended weight loss
•    Loss of appetite
•    Body pains
•    Anaemia
•    Fatigue and weakness
•    Swelling of lymph nodes
•    Enlargement of the spleen or liver in some cases.

The studies have shown the close association of the disease with certain risk factors. There is an increased incidence among people who have a known history of exposure to certain chemicals and ionizing radiation. Another major known cause of the lymphoma cancer is the “Epstein Barr Virus”. This virus is known to affect mainly the immunocompromised individuals such as those suffering from HIV-AIDS, or human T-lymphocytic virus etc. Smoking, excessive consumption of red meat and tobacco may increase the risk of cancer.


How is Lymphoma Cancer diagnosed?

In order to diagnose any type of cancer or for that matter any kind of disease, the doctor first needs to carefully examine the patient’s symptoms and the complaints with which he/she approaches the doctor. The doctor does this by doing a complete physical examination of the patient.
The doctor or the physician then prescribes a number of diagnostic tests to confirm the disease.

In order to obtain the final diagnosis, the following tests can be done:
•    Complete blood counts
•    Bone marrow biopsy
•    Lymph node biopsy
•    Special imaging tests such as MRI, Ct scan, and PET scan


How is Lymphoma Cancer treated?

Cancer causes a number of complications for patients. These could be an increased incidence of infections (immunocompromised state), a decrease in the number of other blood cells etc. 
In mild cases, sometimes doctors prefer regular monitoring of the disease without any treatment or just giving symptomatic treatment

The major treatment modalities include:
•    Chemotherapy
•    Radiation therapy
•    Targeted therapy
•    Surgical removal of the enlarged spleen

Sometimes, there is an excessive amount of some plasma proteins in the blood which may cause problems. It is removed by a process known as “Plasmapheresis”. 
This cancer was once a critical and fatal condition. But, nowadays, with extensive research, this disease is almost curable. India is becoming a leading hub in all the new treatments at low costs with excellent results. Visit our website www.bloodcancercure.com for more information. 

About BloodCancerCure:

BloodCancerCure is the world’s first such organization working 24*7 on helping blood cancer patients. BloodCancerCure works for patients across the world by providing the lowest cost for bone marrow transplants, chemotherapy, and Bone marrow test. You can contact at +91-8448533753 to talk to our experts at BloodCancerCure for BMT treatment in India.
 

What is the best treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma?

What is treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
What is treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

What is a Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL)?

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is the cancer of the lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is made up of lymph nodes and certain organs such as the spleen, thymus, bone marrow, etc. The lymph nodes consist of lymphocytes which are responsible for fighting against infections.

It includes all types of lymphomas except the Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is different in many aspects as compared to the Hodgkin’s lymphoma. NHL is most commonly found in the adults and it starts in the lymph and lymph nodes.

The symptoms of NHL mostly correspond with other types of blood cancers. These include fever, fatigue, night sweats, loss of appetite, weakness, chest pain etc. One of the important sign that rings a bell for the physician that something is wrong is “swollen Lymph Nodes”.  

Types of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma:

There are several different ways NHL can be classified. World Health Organisation (WHO) has laid down the guidelines to classify the NHL, which is as follows:

Type of lymphocyte involved:

  • How the Lymphoma appears under a Microscope

  • The Chromosomal features of the Lymphoma

  • The presence of proteins on the surface of cells.

How is Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma diagnosed?

The diagnosis for any disease is always started with a complete and thorough family and medical history. Confirmatory diagnosis of NHL is important as it determines the type of treatment the patient requires.

The following are some of the common diagnostic tests that are done to detect NHL:

  • Physical examination to check for swollen lymph nodes in neck, underarms, and groin; also to check swollen liver/spleen.
  • Complete blood counts.
  • Bone Marrow Biopsy and Aspiration.
  • Imaging tests such as CT scan, MRI, and PET scan.
  • Lymph node biopsy.

What is the treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma?

As we already know the treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma depends upon the diagnosis of the disease. The treatment regime is different for B-cell and T-cell lymphoma, or an intensive or slow growing (indolent) lymphoma etc.

In some cases, the treatment isn’t even necessary. The slow-growing lymphomas are usually managed using a “wait-and-see approach”. The patient is monitored regularly by the doctor.

If the lymphoma is aggressive, the following treatment approaches can be used:

Chemotherapy:
It involves using certain chemicals and drugs which tend to kill the excessive lymphocytes to bring their level down to normal. Chemotherapy for the treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is either given orally or intravenously.

Mostly the chemotherapeutic agents cannot differentiate between the healthy cells and the cancer cells. The most common side effects include nausea/vomiting, heart & lung damage, hair loss etc.

Radiotherapy:
High-frequency radiation is used to kill the cancer cells. The beams are directed towards specific regions of the body. The radiation targets the specific lymph nodes for the treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

Certain side-effects include rashes and redness of the skin, hair loss, lung damage, heart disease, thyroid damage or stroke. Sometimes, this causes the development of other types of cancers such as breast or lung cancer.

Bone Marrow Therapy:
In this type of treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, the diseased bone marrow is replaced with healthy bone marrow. The new bone marrow resumes the function of producing new, mature cells. But it involves high risk of infection in the recipient.

The doctor is the best source of information for all kinds of patient queries and anxieties during the treatment of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

About BloodCancerCure:

BloodCancerCure is the world’s first such organization working 24*7 on helping blood cancer patients. BloodCancerCure works for patients across the world by providing the lowest cost for bone marrow transplants, chemotherapy, and Bone marrow test. You can contact at +91-8448533753 to talk to our experts at BloodCancerCure for BMT treatment in India.