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.

Tags: Abnormal Growth, antibodies, Antibody Therapy, Armpits, Biological Therapy, Cancer Cells, cancer;, Chemotherapy, Combinations, disease, Grade Lymphomas, Groin, high-grade lymphomas, Hodgkin S Lymphoma, Hodgkins Lymphoma, Lumps In The Neck, Lymph Nodes, Lymphoma, Lymphoma Cancer, Lymphoma Treatment, lymphomas, Non Hodgkin, non-Hodgkins lymphomas, Organs, Radiation, Radiation Therapy, radiotherapy, Reed Sternberg Cell, Sad Ending, Scare, single lymphoma case, Stem Cells, surgery, transplantation, treatment of the cancer, tumor;, tumors;, Types Of Lymphoma, Types Of Lymphomas, Various Procedures Cancer —

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 —