Lymphomas fall into two categories namely, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and the Non- Hodgkin’s lymphoma, doctors estimate the lymphoma survival rate based on these two different types. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma involves the altered cancerous cell called Reed-Sternberg cell which is cancerous in nature. This type of lymphoma is usually observed in adolescents and young adults and those over the age of 50. More men are known to suffer from Hodgkin’s lymphoma than women. Doctors put the lymphoma survival rate for this category to be high, after conduction studies on people who have survived five years after the diagnosis of this illness.
Even though this type of cancer is considered to be very aggressive, it has a wide range of treatment options available which increase the survival rate of the patients suffering from it. Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma involves the kind of lymphoma which lacks the characteristic Reed- Sternberg cell. Out of the sixteen different types of lymphoma cancerous strains identified, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is described to be high grade and very aggressive. Ninety percent of the people affected from this disease are from the age group of 60 and above. Doctor’s put the general five year survival rate for this type of lymphoma patients to be about 63percent while the ten year relative survival rate is marked as 51 percent. The follicular lymphomas are the most common Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma diagnosed. The early detection of the disease can lead to treatment of the lymphoma in the early stages preventing spread of the tumor cells and increasing the survival rate.
It is important to detect lymphoma symptoms in the early stages of the illness for effective treatment. The most common warning signs of lymphoma involve the inflammation of lymph nodes. Enlarged lymph nodes can be felt as bumps in the arm pits, neck and/or groin. The lumps felt in the neck, armpits or in the groin are usually painless and can be noticed while bathing or changing clothes or felt by a partner. A rapid weight loss is another alarming sign whereby the patient loses up to as much as fifteen to twenty pounds in a matter of weeks.
Other lymphoma symptoms include fever that seems to occur intermittently over a short period without any obvious cause of chest or throat infection. Patients suffering from lymphoma often complain of excessive sweating at night even in a cool environment. Also itchiness all over the body is felt by the patients caused by chemicals released by the lymphoma cells. The growing tumor cells use up most of the body’s nutrients giving a feeling of lethargy and weakness to the patient. In rare cases when the lymphomas have grown to large proportions especially in the neck or chest regions, a blockage of the normal flow of vessels occurs, leading to breathlessness in the patients and a swelling in the face and neck regions. Lymphomas in the stomach can cause abdominal pain while lymphomas present in the brain can result in headaches and a weakness in the legs.
There are various kinds of lymphoma treatment available in hospitals which are administered depending on the degree of severity and clinical history. For people who have been diagnosed with lymphoma, it is imperative to understand the different kinds of treatments available and trust the doctor they have consulted. Treatment of lymphoma can be carried out by chemotherapy, by injection of monoclonal antibodies or by radiation therapy, or in some cases a combination of these three methods. Medical science has identified at least thirty different types of lymphoma.
Multiple options for lymphoma treatment are available out of which the doctor consulted will recommend one that pertains to the severity of the disease taking into account different factors related to the clinical health and family history of the patient. Once the type of lymphoma has been identified whether it is Hodgkin’s or non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, laboratory tests are carried out to ascertain the stage of lymphoma the person is at. After all the diagnosis procedures are complete, the oncologist recommends the best treatment to undertake. The four broad categories of treatment administered to patients of lymphoma include radiotherapy, chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation and bone marrow treatment. Chemotherapy entails the treatment of the patient through medication, drugs that the oncologist prescribes which target tumor cells.
X-rays are used to target tumor cells in radiotherapy, by destroying the DNA of the tumor cells. Monoclonal antibodies treatment works to target the specific antigens present on the tumor cells. While bone marrow and stem cell transplants eradicate the problem from the root.