American Expatriate Costa Rica

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: a dangerous disease

Being male, middle-aged, that has been exposed to herbicides and insecticides or that has suffered from autoimmune diseases, makes a person more vulnerable to the development of a type of cancer that can be very aggressive: non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

However, science is constantly studying this type of lymphomas, also called solids tumors, which affect the lymphatic system: an important part of the immune system.

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas can occur:

-In the lymph nodes in the neck.
-In the interior of the chest, pelvis and abdomen.
-In the stomach and intestines.
-In the spleen.
-In the bone marrow.
-In the adenoids and tonsils.
-In the groins and armpits.

According to Fabian Sanabria, Hematology medical manager from Roche company, most non-Hodgkin lymphomas are curable or controllable if treated on time, but to do this, it is necessary to recognize the symptoms and these may vary. However, if any of these persist for more than 2 weeks, the patient should visit the doctor and discard the diagnosis.

To approach this disease there are several methods: there is a test called positron emission tomography (PET), which involves injecting radioactive material to mark the vein so specialists can treat worrying areas in organs and tissues.

Patients can be treated with radiotherapy when tumors are detected in the initial 2 steps; they can be treated with chemotherapy or immunotherapy, a therapy with antibodies that target cancer cells and help the immune system to destroy them.

crhoy.com