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

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.

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.

- A flat or raised growth of black or brown color, often mixed with blue, red, or white parts, from 6 mm to few cm in size, may appear anywhere on the skin, in men mostly on the trunk, in women on the back and legs, and parts of the skin that are usually hidden from the sun, but were exposed to intense sunlight for short periods.
- Melanoma may show one or more of typical ABCDE characteristics: Asymmetry: one part of the tumor differs from other parts; Border of the tumor is irregular; Color: tumor may be of different colors, often several colors are present in one tumor; Diameter above 6 mm (in most cases), Evolving: lesion growths and changes color and appearance with time.

Melanoma Subtypes :
- Superficially spreading melanoma grows relatively slowly.
- Nodular melanoma grows rapidly – weeks to months. It tends to ulcerate and bleed.
- Acral lentiginous melanoma appears in dark skinned people (Afro-American, Asian, and Hispanic), mostly on their palms, soles, and under nails.
- Lentigo maligna melanoma. A macule grows slowly (years) as a patch, over 1-3 cm in size. It does not spread to other organs.

Treatment :
- Chemotherapy is often used to treat melanoma that has returned or spread.
- Medications such as interferon or interleukin, which boost the immune system to fight the cancer, may be useful in addition to chemotherapy and surgery. This kind of treatment is called immunotherapy. However, interferon has many side effects and can be difficult to tolerate.
- Radiation treatments may be used to relieve pain or discomfort caused by cancer that has spread.
- Cancer that has spread elsewhere in the body is sometimes removed with surgery to relieve pain or discomfort.

- Squamous cell carcinoma arises from squamous cells in the uppermost layer of epidermis – stratum corneum.
- It appears as a scaly, reddish, dome-shaped, fleshy nodule, from 5 mm to few cm (if left untreated) in size, often with a central ulcer. It mostly appears on sun exposed areas of the skin or lips.
- It grows slowly, but it can spread to other organs.

Risks for squamous cell skin cancer include:
- Having light-colored skin, blue or green eyes, or blond or red hair.
- Long-term, daily sun exposure (such as in people who work outside).
- Many severe sunburns early in life.
- Older age.
- A large number of x-rays.
- Arsenic.
- Chemical exposure.
- Chronic skin ulcers.
- Actinic keratoses (These lesions have the potential to progress to squamous cell carcinoma.).
At first cancer cells tend to spread only as far as the nearest lymph nodes clusters of tissue found in the underarms, groin, neck, and other parts of the body that help fight disease. When cancer spreads, they often trap cancer cells. structures, which filter out and trap the cancer cells. If spread has occurred, the affected lymph nodes can be removed before cancer spreads to vital organs.
With early detection and proper treatment, SCC is curable. Allowed to progress, SCC can invade and destroy much of the tissue surrounding the cancerous tumor, which can be disfiguring.
Some SCCs, such as those that develop on a lip or an ear, can be particularly aggressive. Left untreated, aggressive SCCs have a greater risk for metastasis (spreading) to the lymph nodes and other internal organs. This makes early diagnosis and treatment of SCC essential.

BASAL CELL CARCINOMA : This cancer is the most common type, and is the type of skin cancer that 90% of US citizen are diagnosed with.
- Basal cell carcinoma arises from the basal cells in the bottom layer of the epiderrmis – stratum basale.
- Basal cell carcinoma does not metastasize like the other skin cancers, but can still badly damage the area they occupy.
- It resembles a small nodule that is red in color, and located on the face, hands, or sometimes the torso. Occasionally, these nodules appear on the trunk of the body, usually as flat growths.
- Basal cell carcinoma can lead to the loss of organ function on such external organs as the ears or eyes.
- Although most cases of basal cell carcinoma are caused by the sun, other exposures can have the same results. Arsenic, severe burns, tattooing, vaccinations, and radiation can all cause basal cell carcinoma.

The variety in which basal cell carcinoma can appear makes for hard diagnosis. It can hide itself in the form of a mosquito bite, wart, rash, or cyst. For these reasons it is important for one to see a physician if any area of sun exposed skin looks unusual or has had prolonged pain.