Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma?

My sister was dignosed with NHL, stage 4, low grade. A CAT Scan revealed the nodes in her abdomen were enlarged and now a mass has formed (8 cm). She saw the second oncologist today and he is waiting for the hospital's pathologist to release the slides from the bone marrow procedure, then the group of lymphoma oncologists meet to determine a course of action. It is also in the bone marrow. Anyone famliar with this cancer and the prognosis, life expectanty. She is asymptomatic, is not losing weight, has an excellent appetite and is feeing pretty well, all things considered. She went to her internist for her routine annual physical and the blood work was what set this all into motion. Initially, the doc thought she had myeloma. I might add,she could not keep her iron level up years ago and had to have iron shots to bring her levels up. I dont know if there is any connection, but thought it might be worth mentioning.





Any input is appreciated. Thank you.

Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma?
Everyone here has given you some good information, so I'll just pass on some of these websites for you to look at. One way you can help your sister is to become as educated as possible about her disease . . do the reading and research. If anything it will help understand what types of treatment options are available and help in discussions with her doctors.





MedLine Plus: Lymphoma


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





Leukemia and Lymphoma society


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





NCCN: Clinical Practice Guidelines for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma


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





Be strong and hang in there.
Reply:Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) describes a group of cancers arising from lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. It is distinct from Hodgkin lymphoma in its pathologic features, epidemiology, common sites of involvement, clinical behavior, and treatment. The non-Hodgkin lymphomas are a diverse group of diseases with varying courses, treatments, and prognoses.





Non-Hodgkin lymphoma may develop in any organ associated with the lymphatic system (e.g. spleen, lymph nodes, or tonsils). Most cases start with infiltration of lymph nodes, but some subtypes may be restricted to other lymphatic organs.





The diagnosis of non-Hodgkin lymphoma requires a biopsy of involved tissue. The numerous subtypes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma are typically grouped into three distinct categories based on their aggressiveness, or histologic grade. These categories are indolent (or low-grade), aggressive (or intermediate-grade), and highly aggressive (or high-grade). The treatment of indolent or low-grade lymphoma may initially involve a period of observation, while aggressive or highly aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma is typically treated with chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy.
Reply:Hi Elle





I'm really sorry to hear about your sister.





Non-Hodgkins lymphoma is a cancer in the lymfoid tissue. Low grade means that it grows slowly but unfortunaly stage 4 means that it has spread to other parts of her body. What causes NHL is unknown but it may be related to some types of infections, your sister's low iron levels some years back were definitely not the reason.





It's really difficult to say much about that prognosis. It depends on the subtype of cancer, her age, her health (lack of symptoms is a good sign!), blood tests and the sites where the cancer has spread to. The doctor will score her on those thing and placed in a risk group. 87% of adults in low risk groups respond completely to treatment and 73% are still alive after 5 years. The numbers for the high risk group are 44% and 26%. However, the since these numbers are based on large groups of people with the same disease, the prognosis for the individual could be better. Hopefully, your sister is one of them.





Hope that helps a little.
Reply:Hi I have Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Grade 1 Stage 4


I know what your sister is going through but after the initial shock of being told and thinking your going to die soon things will calm down, it may be a month or 10 years we don't know, it also can go in remission all on its own to mine did, i have been on watch %26amp; wait for 3 yr now and i am feeling great other than being tired. I get less and less energeticbut other wize not bad.Your sisters my be slower or even faster but have hope and have her get rest it helps alot
Reply:It sounds like she may have one of the indolent [slow growing] Lymphomas. There are many possible variables in trying to predict an outcome from here. I'm glad that you are there for your sister, that's the most important thing.


Here is where you'll find the best info:


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


Many of the other answers are good too.


Best wishes