Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph nodes of the lymphatic system; this system is an important part of the body because the cancer can use the lymphatic system to travel around the whole body.
Causes of Hodgkin’s lymphoma are not known but it is most common in young people age 15 to 35 and in older patents of 50 to 70 years old.
If lymphatic cancer is found treatment is required immediately to get rid of the cancer cells as soon as possible so damage as is not done to normal cells.
Lymphoid tissue is made up of cells called lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that fights infection. There are 2 major types of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes (B cells) and T lymphocytes (T cells). Normal T cells and B cells have different jobs. But because all the importance of these cells they can travel around the body spreading the cancerous cells. There are four stages for Hodgkin’s lymphoma when testing is completed the doctors can determine what stage the cancer is at and what treatment will be best suited to fighting the disease.
Treatment depends on number of factors like the health of a person and their age, treatments can be very strenuous on the body but almost no surgery is required. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy o combined making treatment for lymphoma very effective and giving it a high survival rate.
Because of advancements in technology and funding survival rates have increased in each patient and quality of life due to better chemotherapy and radio therapy drugs are helping millions of survivors round the world to lead a generally normal life without the risk of the cancer returning.
Introduction
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is a type of cancer of the lymph nodes of the lymphatic system in the body; the lymphatic system...
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...health of a patient and a follow up check at the GP’s may be required.
If a lymph node is still enlarged then a lymph node biopsy is the only way to find out for sure, a sample of the lymph node is looked at under a microscope this procedure can be done at a day surgery unit and a patient can usually return home that same day. A CT scan can also be used to take a picture of the whole body to see all of the nodes that are affected and it can tell doctors on the best course of treatment for each individual patient. Once diagnosis of lymphoma it is also important to find out if the cancer has spread to the bone marrow so further test will be done and it has become best practice that a CT scan and a PET scan should be carried out at the start and half way thought treatment to see how the cancer has been affected and if treatment needs to be stepped up or back depending
Hodgkin 's Lymphoma occurs when following a mutation in the lymphocyte DNA. The mutation occurs after birth, meaning that Hodgkin’s disease is not hereditary. The mutated DNA can lead to the uncontrolled growth of cancerous lymphocytes if untreated. The cancerous lymphocytes produce tumor masses in the lymph
Located throughout the body along the vessels of the lymphatic system are the lymph nodes. Lymph nodes contain lymphocytes. Lymph nodes collect pathogens from the lymph and expose them to lymphocytes.
...0’s cancer mortality rates have dramatically decreased from 10% to over 80% for leukemia. Overall decline in mortality for cancer was nearly 54% from 1978 to 2008 (National Cancer Institute, 2011). Decrease in mortality rates are due to improvements in cancer treatments. Recent advances in treatments are due to aggressive cancer therapies and collaboration of findings from clinical trials. More than 80 percent of patients are expected to be long term cancer survivors (National Cancer Institute, 2011).
Surgery is the oldest type of treatment for cancer. In its earlier use, surgery was not as successful as it is today. This was due to the difficulties involved with the anesthesias, excessive blood loss, respiratory distress, and a number of other complications. Tumors were removed, but metastases had formed, and the cancer returned quickly. In modern day surgery, namely laser surgery, these difficulties do not occur as readily. There are four basic ways to use surgery. One way is a diagnostic biopsy. This is a technique that involves removing part of the tumor, in order to test for malignancy. Another technique is surgery that removes the primary tumor. A third technique is removal of lymphatic tumors and metastases, which can help reduce the recurrence of cancer. The fourth technique is a combination of surgeries to detect and treat a malignant or benign tissue mass (1).
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is a form of cancer in the lymphatic system. This type of lymphoma originates in the white blood cells, and spreads throughout the lymph nodes in the body. The cause of Hodgkin’s lymphoma is unknown, and it is sometimes found by chance. This disease is typically treated with chemotherapy and radiation and, if found in the early stages, the patient has a good chance of being fully cured.
Once a patient has been notified of a tumor growing in their body, it changes their attitude and the potential future in their eyes. The chance of living by treatment is worth way more than living without treatment.
The diseased lymph node is usually located in the chest, neck or abdomen. Usually is asymptomatic but when symptoms are present, they may include: A feeling of fullness or pressure in the chest or abdomen that can cause difficulty breathing or eating, an enlarged lump under the skin in the neck, groin or armpit. Unintended weight loss, and less common are fever, night sweats and weakness.
For cancer patients there are several treatment options. Surgery can remove cancerous tumors, chemotherapy uses drugs for treatment, and radiation therapy. The doctor in charge of the patient’s treatment may also choose to use radiation therapy. “Radiation
Lymphomas are a group of neoplastic diseases that come from the lymphoid and hematopoietic systems and are divided into Hodgkin disease and NHL. In Hodgkin disease the cancer starts in the lymphoid system and mostly involves the lymph nodes. It can spread to the spleen, liver, bone marrow, lung and the mediastinum. The outlook is excellent in children with localized disease. Overall survival rates for patients with Hodgkin disease is as high as 95%; however, the survival rate is dependent on histology and staging. The primary clinical symptom are painless enlargement of lymph nodes. Other signs and symptoms depend on the extent and location of involvement. Diagnostics consist of multiple tests to confirm the presence of Hodgkin's disease and to evaluate the extent of involvement for acute staging. The tests include CBC, uric acid levels, liver function test, erythrocyte sedimentation rate or C-reactive protein, alkaline phosphatase, and urine analysis. Radiographic tests include CT scans of the neck, chest, abdomen and hip, pet scans, chest x-ray, and if indicated a bone scan to detect
Lymph Fluid: Is excess tissue fluid that is found throughout the body in the lymph node, spleen and thymus. The Lymph fluid leaves blood capillaries and sits in the interstitial space. The fluid contains waste materials from tissues. They filter foreign debris and bacteria from lymph and transport large proteins and fats to the blood. The thoracic duct, which travels from the abdomen to the thorax is the main lymphatic duct that drains lymph into one of the large veins to the heart. The Lymph fluid is filtered through the lymph nodes before it enters the blood. (Reeder, Miller, Wilfong, Leitch & Zimmel.,
Lymph nodes and cancer. American Cancer Society;[updated 2014 March 6; cited 2014 April]. 2]. Available from: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancerbasics/lymph-nodes-and-cancer.
...pread to nearby tissue in the neck and or to the lymph nodes. Cancer may spread to the lungs and bones as well. Staging consists of more testing; ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, Chest x-ray and a whole body scan. (Thyroid Cancer, 2012)
We now can find what specific cancer a patient has and where, and give them a variety of treatment options such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and several other types of treatment including experimental drugs. But there is no 100% guarantee that these treatments work. Ancient physicians and surgeons knew that cancer usually came back after it was removed surgically and recognized that there was no cure once the cancer had spread, and thought that intervention may be more harmful that no treatment at all. Some people today still think of cancer as incurable and wait until the last minute to go to the doctor. Galen was a 2nd- century Greek doctor that claimed a breast cancer tumor could be completely removed if it was caught at an early enough
Leukemia is a cancer of the white blood cells. It begins in the bone marrow, the soft tissue inside the bones. Within the bone marrow is where white blood cells are created, that help fight off bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms within the body that cause infections. The disease develops to when the white blood cells are being produced out of control. The cells that are being produced do not work properly as they should, they grow faster than a normal cell would and don’t know when to stop growing. Overtime, if not treated properly, the white blood cells will over crowd blood cells, creating a serious problem such as anemia, bleeding and infection. Leukemia cells can spread to the lymph nodes and other organs in the body causing swelling and pain.