The Various Stages and Common Symptoms of Lymphoma
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 affected 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 body parts.
To give you an idea about the various stages that this illness is categorized, here are the basic points about each phase.
Stage one. At this stage, the illness has only been determined to be present at a group of lymph nodes. There are also cases wherein the illness was found in one organ, which is not part of the lymph system, but this kind 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 also separates the chest area from the abdomen.
Stage three. The cancer at this stage can be 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 marrow and liver are involved in the disease as well as the other organs that are far from the originally infected parts.
There are many other factors that can affect the results 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 many 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 there 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 sweating, especially at night and itchiness. You may also feel weak as the cancer cells of the lymphoma start spreading and grow bigger.
Tags: Abdomen, Body Organs, Body Parts, Bone Marrow, cancer;, Chest Area, Diaphragm, disease, Fever, Groups, illness, Itchiness, Liver, Lung Substance, Lungs, Lymph Nodes, Lymph System, Lymphoma, Lymphoma Cancer, lymphoma start spreading, Lymphoma The cancer, sickness, Spleen, Stage Iii, Stage One, Staging, Symptoms Of Lymphoma, Terminal Stage —
Lymphoma Warning Signs
Panicking is never a good thing. Imagine yourself running back and forth inside your house after you felt a lump of in you armpits. It is very possible that you have lymphoma or cancer of the lymph nodes. But still going around in panic is never the answer. Early detection is very important in this situation for treatment of the cancer is more effective. But one could actually check if he or she has lymphoma by looking out for a few lymphoma waning signs. But of course, self diagnosis is never a replacement for the actual, proper and effective medical testing.
As mentioned before, one of the first warning signs that you probably would observe is the presence of lumps not only in your armpits but in your neck and groin as well. These lumps are painless and signs of enlarged lymph nodes. However, an enlarged lymph node is not specific to lymphoma. There might be other underlying conditions for the cause of swollen or enlarged lymph nodes.
Another sign is sudden weight loss. If you found yourself suddenly loosing weight without no apparent cause then lymphoma might be the reason. Although, sudden weight loss is in itself an indication that something is not right with your bodys state of health so it is imperative that you visit your doctor for a check up. In the case of lymphoma patients, however, they found themselves losing ten or even fifteen pounds over just a couple of months without doing any exercises or changing their diet or eating habits at all.
Fever is also an indication of a possible lymphoma diagnosis especially if the fever comes and goes and is like that for a long time now. Fever often comes with body infections. People often mistook lymphomas as mere infections. Again, it is reiterated that consulting your doctors when you experience such fevers is highly recommended.
Other signs include excessive sweating at night which not only is quite unique to lymphoma but is also very uncomfortable which in a way signals the person to have his body checked. People who experience this abnormal sweating behavior wake up practically drenched even if they did not have any nightmares whatsoever or fell asleep in a room with extremely hot temperature. Just like excessive sweating, feeling itchy all over is another unique symptom of lymphoma. The itchiness comes from the release of chemicals from the cancer cells.
Fatigue and loss of appetite are also quite common in lymphoma patients. People actually feel this way because the cancer cells have grown considerably that they are practically sucking most of the nutrients you get from the food you eat. And with the loss of appetite the cancer cells sucks more of the bodys nutrients thats why it is only natural that you feel weak.
The good thing about medical science is that they continue to find ways of treating various ailments and diseases. Lymphoma can be treated and with early detection the treatments are more effective with more positive results. We just need to heed the lymphoma warning signs to help patients with lymphoma get an immediate diagnosis and treatment.
Tags: Apparent Cause, apparent cause then lymphoma, Armpits, body infections, Cancer Of The Lymph Nodes, cancer;, chemicals;, Diseases, Doctors, Eating Habits, Enlarged Lymph Node, Enlarged Lymph Nodes, Excessive Sweating, Exercises, fatigue;, Fever, Fevers, few lymphoma waning signs, First Warning, food;, Groin, Itchiness, Lumps, Lymphoma, Lymphoma Cancer, lymphoma diagnosis, Lymphoma Patients, lymphoma warning, lymphomas, mere infections, running back, Self Diagnosis, Sudden Weight Loss, treatment of the cancer, Warning Signs That —
Important and Useful Information about Lymphoma
Instead of living in fear that you might have lymphoma, you should be very aware from the start of how the usual process goes. It will be better if you are going to find out more about it through research. You can get this done by going through various online resources as well as on printed books and professional studies that were conducted about the subject.
To help you understand the basic things about this illness, here is an overview of the various steps that a person goes through when they are suffering from this kind of cancer. The very first noticeable signs are the enlarged lymph nodes that can be found in the areas of armpits, neck and groin. In most cases, those who have these kinds of nodes also suffer from fever, loss of appetite and drastic weight loss.
When you seek the doctor’s help, they will require you to undergo excisional biopsy. To get this done, they will take small tissue sample from the organs or nodes that seem to be affected with the disease. This sample will be studied by a pathologist under the microscope. Other doctors may ask you to have the fine needle aspiration cytology or FNAC and will let you go through biopsy once they have determined that you have the illness. In most cases, patients go through the lymph node biopsy, but when the cancer affects other areas such as the stomach, brain or skin, the specific biopsy that are targeted to these organs will be done.
Once it was established that you are ill with this disease, the doctor will not be able to give you proper treatment until they know exactly what kind of the disorder you are dealing with. This can be ruled after the pathologist is done inspecting your biopsy sample under the microscope and they have seen the physical appearance of the cancer cells. The two main types of this sickness are the Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin or NHL. The types can also be understood through the use of markers that can point out special molecules on the affected cells.
After the diagnosis, the patient needs to undergo series of tests. Through the tests, it will be examined how far the disease has been spread through the body and what organs have already been infected. Depending on the doctor and how they perceive things, the individual may have to go through a bone marrow test, blood test and if the case is worse, they may need to seek chemotherapy treatment. After all the tests, the patient will discuss things with an oncologist about their other treatment options.
The best thing that you can do to stay healthy all the time is to eat right and lead an ideal lifestyle. This may not be that easy, especially if you are the type of person who loves going out while drinking alcohol and doing other vices. There are also those that no matter how healthy their lifestyle is, there are other factors that affect their overall well-being.
Tags: Armpits, Cancer Cells, cancer;, Chemotherapy, disease, disorder, Drastic Weight Loss, Enlarged Lymph Nodes, Fever, Fine Needle Aspiration, Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology, Fnac, Groin, illness, Living In Fear, Loss Of Appetite, Lymph Node Biopsy, Lymphoma, Microscope, Needle Aspiration Cytology, NHL, Non Hodgkin, Online Resources, Pathologist, Physical Appearance, Printed Books, Professional Studies, sickness —
How To Treat Lymphoma
Experts say that aside from being unfamiliar with signs and symptoms of lymphoma, this condition can be hard to notice because the usual signs can be quite common. Some may even be mistaken for common ailments such as fever and even colds. But if you are one of those that are at risksomebody who have cancer history in their families or those that have weak immune system that are prone to infectionsit would be best to have an appointment with your doctor.
The most common signs of lymphoma would include enlarged nodes that can be seen as lumps the neck, groin or armpits, non stop fever, loss of appetite, drastic weight loss, too much sweating during bedtime, itchiness on all parts of the body, exhaustion or the constant feeling of being weak, and breathlessness that is usually accompanied by swollen face and neck.
It is advisable that the person who experiences at least three of the mentioned symptoms would go to the doctor for a check up. Once the doctor suspects that you might be suffering from lymphoma, he or she would request for diagnostic procedures including biopsy to confirm the suspicions and to also determine how much damage have the cancer cells brought to the organs of the body.
Once final diagnosis has been made, a series of tests will soon follow in order to get detailed accounts of the disease. These reports are crucial in determining what kind of treatment should be given to the patient.
Treatment options
For those who are diagnosed with lymphoma, it is a must to undergo treatment in order to open up to greater chances of recovery. However, since there are almost 35 different types of lymphoma, the treatment options may also vary and could be on a case to case basis.
When it comes to treatment, experts say that it would be possible to use the same treatment for at least three or more types depending on their nature and the way the patient’s body reacts to it. To get better understanding in lymphoma treatment, here is some overview of the four major treatment options available for you:
1. Chemotherapy. Here, drugs are administered including infusions in the patient’s veins or can be used as in the form of pills. The most common chemotherapy schedules are ABVD, R-CHOP and CHOP.
2. Radiotherapy. This is a treatment options wherein high energy rays are used and directed exactly towards the tumor. Experts say that this can be delivered over small areas which involves field radiation or in large areas which involves extended field radiation.
3. Antibody therapy. Also known as “biological therapy”, this type of treatment make use of drugs such as “rituximab” which is specially designed to target special molecules that are present on the cancer cells’ surface.
4. Bone marrow or stem cell transplant. This is probably the most painful, not to mention the most expensivelymphoma treatment available. Here, high doses of radiation or chemotherapy are used in order to eliminate all cancer cells by killing them. What is good about this is that while it targets cancerous cells, it helps save the bone marrow through stem cells or through the use of marrow transplant.
Tags: Antibody Therapy, Armpits, Biological Therapy, Breathlessness, Cancer Cells, Cancer History, cancer;, Case Basis, Chemotherapy, Common Ailments, Diagnostic Procedures, disease, Drastic Weight Loss, Fever, Final Diagnosis, high energy rays, Itchiness, Loss Of Appetite, Lymphoma, Lymphoma Treatment, Organs Of The Body, Patient Treatment, Radiation, radiotherapy, Signs And Symptoms Of Lymphoma, Stem Cells, Swollen Face, Symptoms Of Lymphoma, Treatment Experts, tumor;, Types Of Lymphoma —