Quote:
Originally Posted by hey teach
My husband was diagnosed with Lymphoma today. Stage 4 as it is in multiple locations. A multitude of test, scans and biopsy next week. The oncologist was very positive and said depending on the type of lymphoma we should be able to manage possible have a cure.
What's next? What do we need to expect?
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There are different types of lymphomas. Some are aggressive, some are slow-growing. My friend had NHL, and hers was a very slow-growing type that could not be completely eradicated but had gone into an aggressive stage when she found out she had it. She was my roommate at the time, and I read everything I could find on her illness to learn about it.
Chemo (CHOP+R) got rid of the aggressive stuff. The lymph nodes shrunk and the swelling in her leg went down after the first treatment (her leg had doubled in size because of the fluid being retained). A few years later, she needed more treatment because the aggressive cancer returned, and again they were able to knock it down with chemo.
The doctors told her she could live with the remaining slow-growing lymphoma for 30 years; unfortunately, she died from alcoholism some years later.
I got the impression from what I read that the type of lymphoma depends upon the stage the first cell was in when it turned cancerous. So if a cell is mature when it converts to a cancerous cell, it will be the slower-growing type that is harder to get rid of. If the cell is immature, it grows fast but is easier to kill.
Don't take my word on all this--it's just what I remember, but I think education along with your doctor's advice is key to fighting your husband's illness. Good luck to you and to him. It does seem as though lymphoma is one of the more treatable cancers.
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