What is Hodgkin's lymphoma?
Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer. The cancer is in the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system helps the body to stay healthy. Special cells fight viruses and bacteria. These cells are called lymphocytes.
People with Hodgkin's disease have too many lymphocytes in their bodies. The body can not stand it. By the abnormal growth of the lymphocytes can not do their job. The immune system decreases. That means you can easily get infections.
Lymphocytes in the blood and in the lymph. Lymph is a fluid that flows through the whole body (like the blood). The cancer cells are thus also in the blood and in the lymph. The cancer can spread this way.
What you notice Hodgkin's lymphoma? Usually, the lymph nodes swell. You then feels a bump in place of a gland, for example, under the jaw, at an armpit or groin. The swellings do not hurt.
The lymph nodes may also swell when you have a cold or have a wound. With a stuffed lymph node, you do not have to immediately be afraid of cancer. It is wise to visit your doctor if the swelling lasts longer than a month.
The main treatments for Hodgkin's lymphoma are radiation therapy and chemotherapy.
Hodgkin's lymphoma is slightly more common in men than in women.
There are other types of lymphoma, such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Waldenstrom's.
How does the doctor determines that you have Hodgkin's lymphoma?
To find out if you have Hodgkin's lymphoma, the doctor will first ask about your symptoms. Then a physical examination. Probably they also let your blood.
Depending on the results of this blood test is sometimes more research is needed. You will receive a referral to a specialist. This is often a surgeon or an internist. The specialist will examine you again and leave again check your blood.
To be completely sure whether they will Hodgkin's lymphoma, a biopsy is needed. Here, the surgeon extracts the diseased lymph node road, or it retrieves a piece of lymphoid tissue away from the suspect site. This is done with a local anesthetic or under general anesthesia. A pathologist examines the lymphoid tissue under the microscope.
You are given a general anesthetic? Then you probably need to stay one or two days in the hospital.
Have you no swollen lymph nodes? Then various examinations. These studies should clarify where an abnormality in your body that is causing your symptoms. Then the doctor takes tissue from the suspicious place way to determine whether you have Hodgkin.
What are the signs and symptoms of Hodgkin's lymphoma?
The first phenomenon of Hodgkin's lymphoma is usually that swell to one or more lymph nodes. You then feels a bump in place of a gland. For example, this may be under the jaw, in the neck, armpit or groin. The swellings do not hurt. Sometimes they are sensitive when pressed.
In addition, you may experience:
- fever;
- not feel like eating;
- unintentional weight loss;
- fatigue without apparent cause;
- heavy sweating, especially at night;
- itching all over your body;
- pain when drinking alcohol.
More research on Hodgkin's lymphoma
If you have Hodgkin's lymphoma, then more research is needed.
You can get the following examinations:
- ENT examination. An ear, nose and throat (ENT) examine your throat and nasal cavity. The throat and nasal fact contains lymphoid tissue.
- CT-scan. In Hodgkin's lymphoma may be a CT scan of the chest and / or stomach are needed. The CT scans show where the lymph nodes are swollen. The study also shows that the spleen and liver are affected.
- PET scan.
- Bone Marrow Examination.
- MRI scan .
- Ultrasound. Ultrasound shows the size of the lymph nodes. The doctor will get a better picture of abnormalities in the liver and spleen, which are found by the CT scan.
What is the treatment for hodgkin's lymphoma?
People with Hodgkin lymphoma always get chemotherapy. After chemotherapy often follows irradiation at the places where the seated tumors.
Some people get a very heavy chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant. The stem cell is needed because the heavy chemotherapy also destroys the healthy bone marrow. Therefore there are no more stem cells that can develop blood cells.
This treatment may give the physician if it comes back-Hodgkin's lymphoma after treatment with chemotherapy.
The chance that you heal from Hodgkin's lymphoma is quite large, especially when the disease is detected at an early stage.