A close family friend has Lymphoma, can anyone please help me understand what is going on?

I know she had Lymphoma about a year ago and it was in remission. I recently found out she has it again, this time on her head and in her brain. I've been told it is malignent. I've been told she has 8-10 nodules on her head and scans show small spots in her brain now. She is getting chemo and the doctor said it is not cancerous yet but it could change at any time. I have been to several lymphoma websites, I don't know enough of her details to understand most of what I am reading in relation to her. Can anyone help me understand, in more simple terms what is happening to her and how she is (could be) treating this?

A close family friend has Lymphoma, can anyone please help me understand what is going on?
Lymphoma can be divided into two broad groups: Hodgkin's lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL).





NHL describes a group of cancers arising from lymphocytes which is a type of White Blood Cell.





Hodgkin's is typically characterised as the orderly spread of disease from one lymph node group to another.





The non-Hodgkin lymphomas are a diverse group of diseases with varying courses, treatments, and prognoses. Aggressive lymphoma is usually treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.





There has also been some success with Immunotherapy (a form of treatment that uses the body's immune system to fight cancer ) and Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), or Bone marrow transplantation (BMT). (This replaces white blood cells that are damaged or destroyed by treatment so they can fight the cancer)





Long-term survival or cure rates for these diseases vary with a number of prognostic factors.





Hodgkin's is usually treated by combination chemotherapy. With appropriate treatment, over 85% of Hodgkin's lymphoma cases are curable.





It sounds as though your friend has NHL. Unfortunately I can not be more specific without knowing which lymphoma it is, so have tried to be as general as possible.
Reply:If it's malignant, that means it's cancerous. And lymphoma is a form of cancer that travels in through the lymphatic system, the fluid that bathes the blood. If she has lymphoma, it's cancer. We have lymph nodes throughout our bodies, and can develop cancer in them. So, it's probably traveled to her head and brain. She may be treated with surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, or a combination of any and all. Good luck to your friend.
Reply:Lymphoma is a type of blood cancer that occurs when lymphocytes--white blood cells that help protect the body from infection and disease--begin behaving abnormally. Abnormal lymphocytes may divide faster than normal cells or they may live longer than they are supposed to.





Lymphoma may develop in many parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, blood, or other organs.








There are 2 types of lymphoma:





****Hodgkin's Lymphoma


Some form of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or a combination of the two is typically used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma. Bone marrow or stem cell transplantation may also sometimes be done under special circumstances. Most patients with Hodgkin lymphoma live long and healthy lives following successful treatment.





*****Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma.


Many people treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma will receive some form of chemotherapy, radiation therapy, biologic therapy, or a combination of these. Bone marrow or stem cell transplantation may sometimes be used. Surgery may be used under special circumstances, but primarily to obtain a biopsy for diagnostic purposes.


http://www.lymphoma.org/site/pp.asp?c=ch...
Reply:You need to find out what type of Lymphoma she has. There are many different kinds of Lymphoma, but the two most common are:





1. Hodgkin's Disease - least common


http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertyp...





2. Non-Hodgkin's Disease - most common type


http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertyp...





Both diseases affect the lymphatic system and can be difficult to tell apart. There are over 20 different subtypes of lymphoma.





More informative websites:


MedLine Plus: Hodgkins Disease


http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/hodgk...





MedLine Plus: Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma


http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lymph...





Leukemia and Lymphoma Society


http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org





Stay strong and positive.
Reply:Your question seems to have been answered fairly well so I will leave you with a comment. I recently had a bone marrow transplant in Feb...while I was in the cancer hospital, a nurse came in. It was her first day on the transplant unit, she had been there 10 yrs earlier as a Lymphoma patient. She had been in remission for a while then it came back so she had more chemo and then a transplant. She was a 10yr survivor!!
Reply:Here is where you'll find the best info, along with a bulletin board and access to online counselors who can answer questions:


http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_lls


Best wishes
Reply:While it's hard to know exactly what's going on, given the limited information you have, I'll add that it's almost definitely NOT Hodgkin lymphoma -- the number of cases of classical Hodgkin lymphoma involving the brain in the literature can be counted on your fingers and toes.

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