Health Tips

Hodgkin's Disease Cancer:

Introduction:

Hodgkins Disease or Hodgkins Lymphoma is a type of lymphoma. Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in the lymphocytes. Hodgkin’s Disease is very rare only one percent of all types of cancer turn out to be Hodgkin’s according to the United States National Institutes of Health. Hodgkin’s Disease attacks the lymph nodes which are internal filters for any foreign particles that are formed in the white blood cells.

It is the lymphatic system that creates white blood cells called lymphocytes. These help protect the body against infection and other diseases like bacteria, viruses and even fungi. When the system is working properly the lymph nodes will become swollen and a sore to the touch. The lymphoma happens when the cells start to reproduce quickly and the body cannot stop it. It causes malignant cells to attack the tissues.

Hodgkins Disease was first discovered by Thomas Hodgkin’s in 1832, by all accounts Hodgkins Disease is determined by Reed Stemberg cells but it was named the first curable cancer by different combinations of chemotherapy. The most common group of people that this cancer will attack are young adults, people between the ages of 15 and 35 and those over 55. Hodgkin’s is more common in men than in women, except for the nodular sclerosis which is prevalent in women.

Classic Hodgkins Disease are classified in 2 different categories the Nodular Sclerosing CHL which is the most common class of the disease. It is a big tumor with RS cells and the second subtype is Mixed Cellularity is also common and is a mix of other RS cells that are included in inflammatory cells such as lymphocytes and plasma cells.

Hodgkins Disease can be broken down into 4 stages:
* Stage one
involves one lymph node site in the body where it is contained.
* Stage two
involves two or more sites where the cancer is located.
* Stage three
involves has cancerous lymph nodes on both sides of the diaphragm including the Spleen and other organs.
* Stage four
involves one or more extra lymphatic organs.

The good news is that as we mentioned Hodgkins Disease is very curable. The patient will have to undergo chemo and radiation therapy but there is hope. There are a few famous people who have Hodgkins Disease and live with it. Hockey Player Mario Lemieux and 7th Heaven actor Barry Watson to name a few.

There are several things that will factor in to the survival such as age, overall health and the progression are the most important factors. If you are diagnosed , do all of the research you can and ask your doctor a lot of questions, there is hope.

Causes of Hodgkins Disease:

There is no way of knowing why Hodgkins Disease affects some people and not others. It is more common in men than in women but no one knows exactly why. What doctors do know is that people who have Epstein’s-Barr virus and develop mono have a greater chance of developing Hodgkins Disease. Patients who do have congenital immune deficiencies when they are born and people who have been treated with immunosuppressant drugs after an organ transplant have a chance of developing the disease.

Like other cancers, there is no real reason why some people get it and some don’t. There are other risk factors that are associated with the disease, keep in mind these are risk factors and we are in no way saying who will and will not get this disease. Age and sex are factors, males between the ages of 15 and 34 and over the age of 55 are at a risk. Family history plays an important role. If you have a sibling who has the disease then there is a high chance that you will also get the disease. Viruses, as we mentioned Epstein- Barr virus may be a trigger of the disease as well.

Doctors do know that when lymphocytes reproduce too quickly they become cancerous. When they cells create a large mass of tissue they are called tumors they can either be benign which means not cancerous and malignant which is cancerous. Lymph nodes can be found in the groin, neck, chest, spleen, abdomen, tonsils and bone marrow. They can be found in the stomach, intestines and the skin. Because the lymph nodes can be found all over the body the disease can start anywhere in the body. When cancer gets into the bone marrow the cancer can spread to other lymph nodes. As the cancer spreads it will change the status if the stages of the disease.

There are symptoms to watch out for, there are night sweats, itchy skin, unexplained fevers that happen more often, a painless swelling in the lymph nodes that are in the neck, underarm of groin. If you experience any of these symptoms call your doctor. The key to taking control and getting the help you need is early detection. While Hodgkins disease only makes up one percent of the patients who have cancer, it is a very uncommon form of lymphoma.

Discuss with your doctor the chances of recovery if you are diagnosed as well as the course of treatment that they are going to take. Make sure you understand everything, do some research on your own, you may be able to read and understand it better if you look online for the information.

Symptoms of Hodgkins:
Hodgkins Disease is a type of cancer that attacks the white blood cells. Like any other disease it does have symptoms, if you have nay of these symptoms please see your doctor, early detection is the best way to fight it. Swollen lymph nodes are the most common sign but they are painless, they may be swollen but you feel no pain. What normally happens is that when the lymph nodes are fighting off an infection or virus the lymph nodes become swollen which is normal. So what you have to watch out for are swollen lymph nodes without any infection or virus.

You may also experience other symptoms such as coughing and shortness or breath and maybe some abdominal pain and swelling. Lymph nodes that surround the diaphragm are the ones that become cancerous which would explain the abdominal pain. You may also experience Horner’s Syndrome which is a neurological affliction that does affect the eyes and face. You may also experience nerve pain and some leg swelling.

Other symptoms may include bone pain, some people think they would not recognize bone pain but the pain can be hard to take so in that instance you would know what bone pain is. You may feel pain in the lymph nodes after consuming alcohol. You may wake up in the middle of the night covered with night sweats, all over body itching and you may be more prone to getting infections.

If those symptoms, you don’t recognize then you should call your doctor if you notice your lymph nodes are swollen but there is no pain at all and you feel healthy. If you have a fever though you feel ok but in the interims of taking your temperature combined with fever you will see periods of normal temps and then higher temperature. Erratic body temperature.

If you lose 10 percent of your body weight without trying. If you start getting sick a lot more than you ever have. About a third of people who actually have this disease may notice other symptoms in addition to the ones we mention, fatigue being one of them.

Other symptoms may include enlarged organs such as the spleen or even the liver but only 5 percent of people who have Hodgkins actually experience the enlarged liver.

Sometimes these symptoms will point to Hodgkins and then again they may not. But the key to proper diagnosis is to tell your doctor exactly what you are feeling, don’t leave anything out it may make a huge difference.

Hodgkins Disease Treatment:
The way you can be a complete diagnosis of Hodgkins Disease is done by a tissue biopsy. If for example, your lymph nodes become enlarged with no explainable infection to explain why they are swollen then the doctor will have to take a tissue biopsy of those tissues. If the biopsy concludes that you do have the disease the doctors will conduct more testing such as blood tests, bone marrow biopsy, chest X rays and a CT scan to name a few. Once these tests are completed they will give your doctor a better understanding at what stage the disease is . There are 4 different stages of Hodgkins

* Stage one
It is when the disease is found in one lymph node area. The survival rate of this stage is 90 to 95 percent
* Stage two
It is when the disease is found in two or more lymph nodes. The survival rate is 90 to 95 percent
* Stage three
It is when the disease is present on both sides of the diaphragm. The survival rate is 85 to 90 percent
* Stage four
It is when the disease has spread into one or more of the organs. The survival rate is about 80 percent.

Once you have been diagnosed and the doctor has determined which stage of the disease your body is at, they will begin treatment. The most common form of treatment for Hodgkins disease is chemotherapy medications which are most likely accompanied by radiation therapy. This is used to eliminate all of the cancer cells. The drug therapies are used to re-boost your immune system.

The Chemotherapy and high doses of radiation will actually eliminate all bone marrow cells that produce the red and white cells. A recommendation of a bone marrow transplant or stem cells may be given. All of the normal stem cells and the bone marrow will be taken before any treatment is given. Once treatment is started and is successful then the normal marrow and stem cells are then put back in to the body.

Currently there is a treatment called the ABVD Regimen , it is considered to the highest level of treatment available. It was developed in the 1970’s and it stands for the four drugs that make up the regimen, Adriamycin, Bleomycin, Vinblastine and Dacarbazine. This treatment can take anywhere from 6 to 8 months to work and sometimes longer treatments are required.

Another form of treatment is called the Stanford V, this newer treatment works in half of the time that the ABVD takes but the chemotherapy will become more intense and radiation therapy may be added.

Prevention of Hodgkin Disease:

Though Hodgkins Disease accounts for only 1 percent of the different types of cancer. It is a very uncommon form of cancer and yet little is know about why it happens. There is no way to prevent Hodgkins Disease, some of the risk factors are age and sex, the most common age group to get the disease is 15 through 34 and over the age of 55. Hodgkins Disease is more common in men than in women. There is no prevention about age and sex, these are two things that you cannot change.

Another risk factor is family history. Has anyone in your family been diagnosed with Hodgkins or any other types of cancer. It is very important for a doctor to know that, family history will play a big part. For example, if you have a brother or sister who has been diagnosed with the disease you as a sibling have a higher than average chance of possibly getting the disease. You can speak to your doctor if this happens to find out what your chances are of getting the disease.

Viruses are also a risk factor, for example, if you come down with infectious mono from the virus related to Epstein-Barr syndrome then you may be at risk for Hodgkins Disease. Lower immune system may be a high risk. The lower immunity would be from people who have experienced the following:

Decrease in immunity from those people who have Aids or from patients who have had organs transplants and have been taking immune system suppressing drugs and from people with congenital immunodeficiency syndromes. Please keep in mind that risk factors are just that factors, they are not guaranteed to cause the disease and it does not mean you will become affected with the disease.

Some cancers like skin cancer and lung cancer can have preventative measure such as take good care of your skin and stay out of the sun and don’t smoke but with a very uncommon cancer like Hodgkins there are no preventative measures to take and there is nothing you can do. Risk factors just make you aware of the chances but they don’t mean you are definitely going to get the cancer. If you are concerned about getting the disease , talk to your doctor about your chances. By sitting down and talking to your doctor he may be able to rest your fears.