Posts Tagged ‘Type’

Lymphoma – cancer of white blood cells. What are its causes, symptom, risk factors and treatment?

Lymphocytes are the cells of the immune system. Lymphoma is a cancer of lymphocytes i.e white blood cells. This type of cancer develops in lymphatic system. There are two types of lymphoma:
- Hodgkin disease : It occurs due to the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells in lymph nodes. The structure of the abnormal lymph node and types of cells will decide the division of hodgkin disease.
- Non-Hodgkin disease : The risk increase with age and people who have weak immune system. It occurs when T or B type cells grow abnormally.

CAUSES OF LYMPHOMA

Exact cause is not known but the risk factors include:
- Infections like HIV, Epstein-Barr virus, Helicobacter pylori and hepatitis B or hepatitis C virus.
- It depends on age.
- Weak immune system.
- When body is exposed to harmful chemicals.
- Family history of lymphoma.
- Exposure to carcinogens.

SYMPTOMS OF LYMPHOMA

- Swelling in neck, under an arm.
- Swelling is painless.
- Swelling of lymph nodes or tissues.
- Fever and chills.
- Weight loss
- Sweating in night.
- Tiredness and weakness.
- Abdominal discomfort.

To diagnose lymphoma:
- a complete physical examination and family history is noted.
- blood tests are done.
- imaging techniques are used to detect the presence of cancer and how much it has spread.
- examinations of bone marrow are done.
- biopsy can be done.
- CT Scan and MRI

After diagnosis is over, staging of lymphoma is done so that how much the cancer has spread is noticeable.

- In stage 1, lymphoma has affected single lymph node.
- In stage 2, lymphoma has affected one or more lymph nodes.
- In stage 3, lymphoma has affected when two or more lymph nodes or a lymph node and an organ on the opposite side of the body.
- In stage 4, lymphoma has affected spleen, bone marrow or nervous system.

Treatment of lymphoma depends on how much it has spread and affected i.e. the staging of the disease. The goal of medical therapy in lymphoma is complete remission.

- Chemotherapy
- Radiation therapy

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How to stop a nose bleed?

A nasty drip that is the most common kind of nose bleed involves bleeding from the front of the nose only. These are called anterior nosebleeds. They originate from one of the tiny vessels that run through the front of the nose. Blood thinning medications can make you more susceptible to them. Some ways to stop them are:
- Stand or sit upright, lean forward, and pinch the front, soft part of your nose between your thumb and forefinger. After about 5 to 15 minutes, the bleeding should stop. If it does not stop after 20 to 30 minutes with continued pressure, emergency evaluation is usually necessary.
- Lubricate your nose: If you have recurrent anterior nosebleeds, try lubing your nose with a thin film of petroleum jelly.
- The blood vessel causing the nosebleed may need to be cauterized. This procedure creates a seal on the vessel by burning it with silver nitrate, electric current or a laser beam.

A less common type of nosebleed involves heavy bleeding that flows down the back of the throat and sometimes out of a nostril. These posterior nosebleeds are more likely to occur in older adults with conditions such as high blood pressure, which can damage blood vessels.
A posterior nosebleed requires a trip to the emergency department. Doctors may try to stop the bleeding by inserting packing material deep into the nostrils. If it does not work, surgery may be needed to tie off the bleeding vessel. Posterior and recurring anterior nosebleeds may require a follow-up exam to look for underlying problems such as uncontrolled high blood pressure, a bleeding disorder or a tumor.

Papillary Cancer – The Most Common Thyroid Cancer

- Papillary carcinoma is a relatively common well-differentiated thyroid cancer.
- Papillary/follicular carcinoma must be considered a variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma.
- Papillary carcinoma may be overtly or minimally invasive. In fact, these tumors may spread easily to other organs.
- Papillary tumors have a propensity to invade lymphatics but are less likely to invade blood vessels.
- Papillary carcinoma typically arises as an irregular, solid or cystic mass that arises from otherwise normal thyroid tissue.
- About 75 – 85% of all thyroid cancers diagnosed in the United States are papillary carcinoma.
- The cause of this cancer is unknown. A genetic defect may be involved. High-dose external radiation to the neck increases the risk of developing thyroid cancer.

Treatment for Papillary Cancer
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Surgery

With this type of thyroid cancer treatment, part or all of the thyroid gland is removed. Additionally, if any nearby lymph nodes have been affected by the cancer, they too may be removed. Following this type of thyroid cancer treatment, individuals will begin taking thyroid hormone pills to replace the thyroid hormones that used to be secreted by the thyroid gland which also serves to suppress re-growth of the thyroid cancer.
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Chemotherapy

Used almost exclusively as a thyroid cancer treatment for anaplastic cancer, chemotherapy is the use of anticancer drugs to kill malignant (or cancerous) cells.
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Radioactive iodine therapy

Usually employed as a follow-up thyroid cancer treatment to surgery, patients ingest a measured amount of radioactive iodine. This iodine then usually kills any thyroid tissue that was unable to be removed during the surgical procedure.
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External radiation

External radiation is a thyroid cancer treatment option that involves directing radiation at residual tumor cells from an outside radiation source to help shrink or kill these cells. In patients for whom surgery may not be feasible, external radiation is usually the next preferred option.