It is logically difficult for someone who has just been diagnosed with lymphoma to truly understand the various treatment options available. It is a common knowledge that there are about 30 different kinds of lymphoma. Thus, there could be numerous treatment options available. A single type of the disease could call for a specific treatment option.

Medical supervision is absolutely a must following detection of lymphoma symptoms. You need to first ascertain how serious the condition is. Lymphoma, once detected, should be immediately and accordingly treated. Remember to take medical treatment as per your doctors advice. There are many options available, as mentioned, but there are several that usually stand out. There are four major types of lymphoma treatment available, namely, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, stem cell or bone marrow transplant, and antibody therapy.

Chemotherapy involves the administration or application of drugs as infusions into the veins of the patients. Chemotherapy could also be taken in the form of oral pills. The most common types of chemotherapy for lymphoma are R-CHOP, CHOP, and ABVD. On the other hand, radiotherapy uses high-energy light rays that are specially and strategically directed at the cancer cells targeted. This form of therapy could be delivered even over small body areas as in involved field radiation or over large areas as in extended field radiation.

Stem cell or bone marrow transplant uses high dosage of radiation or chemotherapy to specifically kill targeted cancer cells. The bone marrow is saved during the process through transplantation of a new one or through transplantation of stem cells. Lastly, antibody therapy, also known as biological therapy, uses specific drugs to target special molecules across the cancer cells surfaces.

Hodgkins lymphoma is often treated using radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The treatment options are usually based on the current stage of lymphoma and on several prognostic factors. Chemotherapy is more used in all patients regardless of stage. Radiation may be used only during the early stages of the condition.

There are almost 25 various kinds of non-Hodgkins lymphoma (NHL). Several of them behave differently compared to others. Treatment used depends on the specific type as well as observable behavior of the NHL. Chemotherapy is the most popular. Antibody therapy and/or radiation therapy may only be added to complement chemotherapy for additional benefits.

Home remedies could also be tried to cure this disease, especially after early detection. Such remedies should only be considered as secondary only to medical treatments against lymphoma. The best natural remedy is to strategically detoxify your body. To do so, you have to drink lots of water and fruit juices. Avoid intake of alcohol and caffeine. There are foods that enhance the detoxification process like carrots, beets, mushrooms, and broccoli. During the process strictly avoid consumption of sugars, saturated fats, and refined foods.

Fruits and vegetables could be best as natural treatments against lymphoma. These include pears, apples, parsley, and lettuce. These foods detoxify the body as well and at the same time aid quick cleansing of your bodys lymphatic system. Chinese herbs like codonopsis and ginseng could also be tried.

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Cancer is a word that most of us dread to hear from our doctors. We know that its something that should not be taken 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 where cancer cells develop first in other organs before spreading into 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 case. Once the type of lymphoma has been diagnosed and identified, the next 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 stage 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 be 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 through surgery.

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Lymphoma is cancer of the lymphatic system. Like other cancers, lymphoma can be treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy among with other methods like antibody treatment and even through bone marrow transplants. And just like any other type of cancer, there are some notable side effects of lymphoma treatments.

Treating cancer is rather toxic to the body. Cancer cells multiply in an abnormal rate. This rate of growth produces a mass of tissue which becomes a tumor. When left alone the cancer cells eventually suffocate the healthy cells nearby and shut down their functions. Whole organs can shut down completely which obviously means death to that person. Eradicating these cancer cells is the key element in cancer treatment procedures. However, the overall goal of cancer treatments is to destroy cancer cells without killing the normal and healthy cells nearby.

Chemotherapy is a common method of killing those cancer cells. This treatment uses various drugs to eliminate the cells. However, the drugs still affect some of the healthy cells. Among the more common side effects of the treatment in lymphoma patients includes decreased blood cell production, diarrhea, fatigue, mouth sores and hair loss. Decreased in blood production includes the normal red blood cells, the white blood cells and even the platelets. Some patients also reported feelings of nausea after the treatment. And because the drugs used for the treatment can also harm the production of sperm and egg cells, it is a medical fact that the treatment can indeed cause temporary or even permanent sterility of patients.

Instead of drugs, radiation therapy uses x-rays to kill the cells. But just like chemotherapy, the use of high energy x-rays can kill the neighboring healthy cells. Common side effects of this treatment include feeling tired all the time like all your energy was drained out of your body. Hair loss and nausea are also common problems when patients undergo radiation therapy. But hair loss is limited to areas where the treatment is actually targeted. Nausea and skin changes like getting red or itching are other known side effects.

Some treatments use steroids to control the growth of the cells. This is actually quite common and is used alongside other treatments. Steroids such as cortisone, prednisone and dexamethasone can cause insomnia, increased appetite, mood swings or changes and weight gain. The good thing about steroid treatment is that it is not used for long periods so the side effects are actually not strongly felt.

To counteract the side effects of lymphoma treatment, doctors suggests that you drink a lot of water before your treatment especially if you will undergo chemotherapy. If you experience mouth sores, a good way to provide some comfort is by drinking milk and cream. Juices especially tomato and citrus juices are not a good idea when you have numerous sores in your mouth. It has been suggested that you eat several small meal portions during the day instead of eating full size meals.

Remember that your immune system at this point is compromised because of your low blood count so it would be advisable to stay away from crowded areas and people that are sick. Ask your doctors for other ways to lessen the side effects.

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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.

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