2012年9月24日 星期一

What is Follicular Lymphoma?


There are a lot of classifications for lymphoma depending on the morphological characteristics found during biopsy. The major classifications are Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but they are still subdivided according to their grade. Follicular lymphoma is a subcategory of B-Cell lymphoma that is classified under Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Follicular lymphoma is an indolent type of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This means that this type of lymphoma spreads and affects the body in a slower rate compared to other types of B-cell lymphoma. This classification is quite crucial. The slower a malignancy affects the body, the harder it is to detect. The disease got its name for it manifests itself as malignant follicles in affected body parts under morphological studies.

Follicular lymphoma rarely manifests itself in the early stages like other forms of B-Cell lymphoma. By the time the signs and symptoms warrant a visit to the physician, the follicular lymphoma is already at stage III or IV already. The signs and symptoms are:

- Swollen, rubbery, non-tender lymph nodes greater that 2cm in size. The lymph nodes can be located at the neck, by the clavicle bone,

- Distended abdomen due to enlarged liver and spleen

- Night sweats

- Unexplained fever

- Unexplained weight loss

- Difficulty in breathing

It is still unknown what causes this condition. However, the following risk factors have been attributed to the formation of the said condition:

- Compromise of the immune system - patients undergoing radiation therapy for cancer, or prolonged intake of immune-suppressant drugs after transplant surgery has been attributed to formation of follicular lymphoma.

- Viral infections - HIV/AIDS, Epstein-Barr virus have been linked to follicular lymphoma.

Cure for the disease is divided into curative and palliative. However, the curative mode of treatment is applied only during the early stages of the disease and very few patients manifest Stage I and Stage II symptoms. Palliative treatment is done when the malignancy has spread through the entire body and cannot be corrected.

There are no known definite treatments that can totally cure follicular lymphoma. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are often utilized to help prevent further spread of the malignancy. Sometimes, bone marrow transplant is utilized when the disease is in relapse to help the body recover and produce non-malignant cells. Even during the course of treatment, you must maintain regular check up with your physician to monitor your progress to see if the treatment is effective or needs changing.




Need to learn more about Lymphoma? Be sure to check out Lymphoma Symptoms which contains in-depth information on Follicular Lymphoma symptoms, causes, treatment and much more.





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2012年9月23日 星期日

Fertility Preservation in Women and Men With Hodgkin Lymphoma


Lymphoma is cancer of lymphocytes, the cells that are part of human immune system. The disease was first described in 1832 and can start anywhere lymphocytes are found (lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, or digestive tracts). Two types are recognized; Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). The American Cancer society estimates that approximately 3800 women and 4600 men will be diagnosed with HL in 2010. The majority of those diagnosed with HL are children and young adults (age 15 to 40 years). Modern treatment carries high survival rates. (>80%). HD, however, by virtue of the disease itself or its treatment poses considerable risk to fertility in women and men, especially if it recurs after treatment.

When HD is suspected usually because of enlarged lymph nodes or other symptoms such as a fever, weight loss or night sweating, a biopsy of lymph nodes is required for the diagnosis. Biopsy require special stains (CD15, CD 30) for proteins on the surface of the characteristic cell. Once confirmed certain imaging studies (especially PET scan) to detect the extent of the disease.

Chemotherapy for Hodgkin Lymphoma; combination chemotherapy is used either ABVD, BEACOPP or MOPP-ABV. Each of the letters represent one medication. The combination of drugs is used for several cycles usually 3 to 6. This is the principle treatment for HL.

Radiation therapy using external beam is sometimes combined with chemotherapy. Radiation is usually localized to the area of the body that harbors enlarged lymph nodes.

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). This treatment is used for resistant HL or HL that recurred after successful treatment in the past (relapse). This treatment requires 1. very high dose of chemotherapy and possibly total body radiation then 2. transplantation of the mother cells of the bone marrow that produce our blood cells. The sources of these cells could be the person himself (autologous) a donor person (allogenic).

Effects of Hodgkin Lymphoma and treatment on future fertility. It has been shawn that men and women attempting conception after treatment for HL had lower chances of becoming pregnant than general population (Aisner 1993).

Men: There is evidence to suggest that HL itself can affect sperm production in 50 to 70% of boys and men, probably due to disturbance of the immune cells. Chemotherapy also can be harmful to sperm production. Alkylating agents especially cyclophosphamide can cause prolonged or permanent azospermia (no sperm production). The other agents may have a reversible effect with some prospect to recovery after months to years. The final effect of chemotherapy is difficult to predict and is related to the type of regimen and doses used. For example the old MOPP regimen for 6 or more cycles result in very high rate of azospermia while the newer ABVD regimen usually causes reversible azospermia.

HSCT entails the use of high dose of alkylating agents and sometimes radiation. It commonly result in prolonged azospermia. HL or its treatment may also affect sperm quality (sperm shape and motility) in addition to concentration. Suppression of sperm production in the testes using a group of medication called gonadotropin releasing hormone agonists (GnRHa) has been suggested but there is no proof that they protect the gonads from the effects of treatment in men and women. The testes should be sheilded from the radiation feild whenever possible.

Women: Chemotherapy for HL can result in reduction of ovarian reserve and may reduce future fertility depending on the medication used, dose, frequency, intensity, age and associated radiation treatment. Multiple studies suggested that the risk of loss of fertility is related to 1. Age > 30 years (or > 25years with hifg dose therapy) 2. Type of chemotherapy. MOPP was associated with loss of fertility than ABVD and BEACOPP. 3. Dose and frequency of chemotherapy. Dose escalation BEACOPP used in more advanced HL was associated more with ovarian failure. 4. Exposure of the ovaries to radiation. In a large study about 20% of women experienced menopause. In another study about 40% of women were able to conceive after treatment. In general published literature is not accurate in reporting fertility potential becaus they used menses as as their end point. Resumption of menses after chemotherapy does not accurately reflect fertility potential. The high dose of chemotherapy used prior to HSCT is associated with ovarian failure in the vast majority of women and girls.

Options for preservation of fertility in men. 1. Sperm cryopreservation: This is a widely available and safe option in adults. One or multiple sperm samples are obtained and frozen for later use. After remission the sample is thawed and used for intrauterine insemination or in vitro fertilization. If IVF is used a single sperm is injected directly into a partner oocyte (ICSI) and the rest of the sperm is refrozen. ICSI is a very powerful tool that can compensate for lower quality sperm encountered in men with HL. In prepubertal boys, sperm may be found in the ejaculate as early as 12 years. Asking prepubertal boys to produce a sperm sample may carry some ethical consideration. The majority of cancer patients are interested in knowing their option about preservation of genetic parenthood in the future. In spite of that, only about one quarter freeze their sperm, mainly because of lack of information about sperm freezing (Schover at al 2002). A survey of over 700 oncologists indicated that less than half offer this option to their patients diagnosed with cancer. 2. Surgical sperm retieval (TESE). Testicular sperm extraction is a surgical procedure where a small amount of tissue is harvested directly from the testes to obtain sperm. Its used in men with azospermia before starting treatment. The specimen is frozen for future use with IVF-ICSI. This is a common procedure in adults and has been reported in prepubertal boys. 3. Testicular stem cell freezing; either within testicular biopsy or separated cells. This is an experimental method with no reported human pregnancy. It is considered for prepubertal boys. The cells or tissue is later transplanted back for sperm production.

Options for preservation of fertility in women.

1. Embryo freezing. This technology is widely available and suitable for women with a partner (or accepting donor sperm) and treatment can be delayed for 3 weeks. It require stimulation of the ovaries and egg retrieval (an outpatient procedure under sedation). Embryos can be frozen for a long time and transferred after remission when fertility is desired.

2. Egg freezing. Used in women with no partner and declining the use of donor sperm. It also require ovarian stimulation and a treatment delay for 3 weeks. Its generally less successful than embryo freezing, although the use of vitrification method can yield comparable results to embryo freezing.

3. Ovarian tissue freezing. This method is experimental. Its used in prepubertal girls or in women that need to start treatment urgently and do not have the time to undergo ovarian stimulation. Its also considered in women or girls before undergoing HSCT since it is associated with very high rate of ovarian failure. One ovary is harvested usually using minimally access surgery (laparoscopy). Patient is diacharged the same day and can start treatment immediately. The ovary is processed so that the outer part (2mm thin) is isolated and frozen. The inner part of the ovary (does not bear eggs) is submitted for pathological examination. After remission the ovary is transplanted back in the abdomen or under the skin.

Women and men diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma experience high chance for cure. Counseling about fertility issues before treatment can enable them to preserve their sperm, eggs or embryos for future use after treatment.




Amr Azim is a board certified reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist in New York City IVF and author of many scientific publication in the area of fertility treatment and fertility preservation. I specialize in helping women and men with fertility counseling, testing and infertility treatment including IUI and IVF.
I am very passionate about helping women, men and children diagnosed with cancer and other diseases understand the impact of disease and its treatment on future fertility.
I write regularly at http://nycivf.org and http://preservationoffertility.org





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The Advantage of Good Nutrition With Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma


Like other types of cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma may have no symptoms to indicate its presence. It is usually diagnosed only after a number of other diseases and conditions are tested for and subsequently ruled out. Testing is usually done by physical exam, which will include blood and urine tests and may include X-ray, CT scan, MRI or PET scan. As with other types of cancer, biopsies are typically done on suspicious lymph nodes to confirm the diagnosis. A secondary biopsy of the bone marrow may also be done to check for spread of the disease. After diagnosis is confirmed, it will be classified and then staged. There are about 30 types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Stage I is considered to be the most treatable.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, being a cancer that starts and develops in the lymph nodes, affects the immune system and there are certain conditions of the immune system that can increase the risk for developing this disease. Organ transplant patients are given an immunosuppressant drug, which can increase the risk of this type of cancer. Other risk factors include exposure to certain pesticides and others.

Treatment will depend on the stage of the cancer as well as the size of the tumor. Options for treatment include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. Other treatments can be considered for the cancer as well including newer and experimental treatments.

Build a Stronger Immune System Through a Better Diet

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, like other types of cancers, is a disease of opportunity. It is one that will attack the body where it is most vulnerable; if the immune system is at risk, the cancer will attack there. The best method of protecting the immune system is with a healthy and well-balanced diet. A good diet includes lean proteins, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats and should be discussed with the doctor or a nutritionist. In addition to giving you the strength to fight this disease, eating frequent, small meals can help with the nausea that can be involved with the chemotherapy or other treatment plans for this cancer.

Before making any major changes to the diet, the patient should talk to the nutritionist to discuss exact caloric needs and the right amount of protein, carbohydrates and fats as well. According to the American Heart Association, the diet should not be more than 35% protein.

No matter how the diet is divided up, the nutrients must come from the healthiest sources. Whole foods are always the best choice, however there are times when it is nearly impossible to eat a full meal. In addition to getting protein from foods such as meats, dairy and grains, there are protein supplements that could be included in the healthy diet as well. The nutritionist or doctor may suggest some guidelines for a good supplement choice. Supplement options include protein shakes or powders, bars, puddings, enhanced waters and supplement shots. The doctor will typically set a limit for the sugar in the protein supplement that is used because sugar can severely hamper the immune system's function.

A liquid protein supplement can be a better choice for the cancer patient as well as for others because in addition to the high protein content and low calorie count, there is no added sugar or fat.

Another advantage of a liquid protein supplement for use by those who are facing serious conditions and diseases such as cancer is the ability to blend it with other foods or beverages to change the flavor as needed.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Diet: A Case Study

Diane has been having some minor, ongoing health problems that are not only annoying to her but are started to affect her entire life. In addition to a nagging cough that will not go away, she is losing weight. An older lady who works in the same building scares her by talking about problems such as tuberculosis and other serious diseases. The older lady reads information on websites, coming up with more questions to ask Diane and further scaring her. Finally, Diane goes to the doctor for testing. The doctor rules out a number of conditions, including tuberculosis, however there is a troubling swollen lymph node that the doctor takes for biopsy. Diane is glad that she does not have tuberculosis but is horrified to learn that she does have non-Hodgkin's lymphoma instead. She is convinced that it is fatal, however after confirmation and further testing, the doctor lists her at Stage I, which he explains is very treatable.

The doctor will start with chemotherapy and then move into radiation. At the end of the radiation cycle, the doctor will reevaluate the size of the tumors to see if they need to be surgically removed or if they are gone.

While she is enduring the treatment and getting herself back on the track for good health, Diane will be working on getting the good nutrition that will help her body fight for itself. In addition to including more and more fresh foods, fruits and vegetables, Diane will be eating more protein, especially from leaner sources. Diane will also include a liquid protein supplement in her diet as a between meal snack, helping her to keep her strength up and giving her the ability to fight this disease and conquer it once and for all.




About Protica Research

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm specializing in the development of protein-rich, capsulized foods (dense nutrition in compact liquid and food forms). Protica manufactures Profect protein beverage, IsoMetric, Fruitasia and more than 100 other brands in its GMP-certified, 250,000 square foot facility.

You can learn more about Protica at http://www.protica.com

Copyright - Protica Research - http://www.protica.com





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Stem Cells May Make Many Lifesaving Treatments Possible - Much Work Needs to Be Done


Researchers reported on the new ability to reprogram adult human skin cells a little more than two years ago. This remarkable breakthrough has led to great excitement and anticipation, as well as ongoing investigations to help make regenerative medicine a reality. Important new developments are being published almost every month and the field is moving very fast.

Up until very recently everyone "knew" that adult cells had permanently lost their ability to return to a primitive state, i.e., lost their ability to transform into any other kind of cell. Everyone "knew" that once a cell differentiated into a particular lineage and cell type, that was it. In the words of the Bones characters Agent Seeley Booth and Dr. Temperance Brennan, there are "no do-overs" and "no take-aways" in embryology.

Almost none, that is. For example, adult bone marrow cells retain a multipotent ability. Throughout life, these cells transform into red blood cells, platelets, and many types of white blood cell. But this understanding has been shown to be insufficient. In fact, adult bone marrow cells have more than multipotent abilities. They are able to transform into brain cells under the right conditions, and may eventually be proved to be pluripotent.

Throughout the 20th century, schoolchildren, high schoolers, and college students learned that cellular differentiation is a permanent event. No do-overs. In 2007 visionary scientists proved that this "well-known fact" was incorrect. Adult human cells, specifically skin cells, are able to be reprogrammed back to an initial state. Reprogramming returned to these cells the ability to differentiate (transform) into any other kind of cell.

It's so easy to leap ahead and consider what might become possible. Healthy cells, tissues, and organs - tailored to a specific person - might be produced from a simple skin biopsy. Cures might become available for devastating diseases. Many people around the world might be helped to live longer, healthier lives. But much knowledge remains to be acquired and many genetic, immunologic, and biochemical challenges will need to be overcome before the first treatment for any disease is actually delivered to a patient.

The field of gene therapy provides a seriously cautionary tale. Fifteen years ago many scientists, as well as science experts in the popular press, believed that gene therapy was around the corner. The Human Genome Project was well underway and researchers had begun to identify a few DNA locations that were associated with specific genetic diseases. A few potential treatments were rushed into clinical trials. A catastrophic result soon obtained - the death of a Pennsylvania teenager who was a subject of one such trial. The field ground to halt as the FDA launched an investigation. It has taken many years for gene therapy to recover as a reputable discipline. Clinical trials for various therapeutic uses of reprogrammed pluripotent adult human cells will only take place after many years of further investigation and research.




David Lemberg, M.S. in Bioethics, Albany Medical College, May 2010 Consultant, Author, Speaker. Research interests - health care and health care policy, reproductive technologies, genetics and genomics, K-12 science education Executive Producer, SCIENCE AND SOCIETY, http://scienceandsociety.net Twitter - http://twitter.com/david_lemberg Visit SCIENCE AND SOCIETY for cutting-edge interviews with Nobel Laureates, trendsetting industry executives, and best-selling authors in the fields of cancer research, genetics, health care policy, nanotechnology, and space exploration.





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Canine Lymphoma - What You Need to Know


Canine lymphoma is a cancer of lymphocytes in dogs. Lymphocytes are white blood cells that play a crucial role in defending the body against pathogens such as bacteria and virus. The tumor can develop in any part of the body where there is lymph tissue, such as lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, liver and other organs.

Canine lymphoma usually occurs in middle aged dogs, especially Golden Retrievers. The cause of this type of cancer is not known. It can be influenced by genetic or environmental factors, or both.

Canine Lymphoma Symptoms

The symptoms vary according to the type of canine lymphoma. There are several types of lymphoma, depending on which part of the body that the tumor develops.

1. Multicentric - Tumor develops in lymph nodes as painless lumps on the neck, behind the knees, under the front legs and in the groin. This is the most common type, accounting for at least 80% of all canine lymphoma. It can spread to other internal organs such as the spleen, liver and bone marrow. In the later stage of the disease, the tumor causes obstruction in the affected organ and symptoms such as weakness, tiredness, loss of appetite and fever can arise.

2. Alimentary - Tumor in the gastrointestinal tract that results in vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea and weight loss.

3. Mediastinal - Tumor of the thymus. In the advanced stage of the disease, dogs develop breathing difficulty, fluid accumulation in lungs and hypercalcemia.

4. Cutaneous - This affects the skin, causing lesions, itchiness, redness, nodules, plaques and hair loss.

Diagnosis Of Canine Lymphoma

Diagnostic tests may include a combination of needle aspirate of the affected lymph node, biopsy, blood test, ultrasound and x-rays.

Canine Lymphoma Treatment

Chemotherapy is the only treatment option. The treatment protocol and its effectiveness is determined by the stage of the disease and location of the tumor. A combination of chemotherapy drugs are administered orally and by injection.

Unlike human beings, most dogs experience no side effects from chemotherapy. Only less than 10% of dogs may suffer serious side effects that require hospitalisation. Possible side effects include hair loss, gastrointestinal problems, reduced appetite, tiredness, diarrhea, vomiting, blood in urine and low white blood cell count.

Although chemotherapy does not cure lymphoma, some dogs do go into remission for up to 1 year. However, if left untreated, most dogs will die within 4-6 weeks.




Discover natural and holistic treatment for canine lymphoma in the "Natural Help For Pet Cancer" ebook. Get your FREE copy now at http://www.ultimatedogguide.com/canine-lymphoma-treatment-ebook





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2012年9月22日 星期六

Imperative Facts About Leukemia


Acute leukemia occurs when immature blood cells begin to rapidly increase and begins to crowd the bone marrow, preventing it from making more healthy blood cells. Thus, problems occur in the body as it is unable to fight off diseases and harmful attacks and immediate treatment is needed to combat this disease. Usually this occurs most often and frequently in children over adults and can be caught and treated.

Chronic leukemia occurs when mature and abnormal white blood cells are produced very fast and at alarming rates causing really abnormal white blood cells to be present in the body's blood stream. This is usually found in older people as the cells are usually mature already and sometimes immediate treatment is postponed as the entire chronic condition is monitored and the best case treatment is considered before any action is taken on the matter.

There are many signs of this disease, particular damage to the bone marrow causing a lack of blood platelets which are extremely important for the blood clotting process. So, people with this disease are often ones who get hurt easily and bruise for little things and bleed at alarming excesses. That is one way to know that one might have leukemia, to be aware of whether or not they bleed a lot for little injuries that should not have caused so much bleeding. Also, because the white blood cells are otherwise occupied, the patient's immune system is always shot and unable to fight off sicknesses. They will even start attacking other body cells and people might get infections frequently or have infected sores in the mouth, tonsils, or even diarrhea or bouts of pneumonia that can be almost fatal in the extent of it.

Patients are often pale and weak as they might suffer from anemia, or low blood counts, and that might cause them to lack energy and strength. Sometimes patients feel sick, have night chills and sweats and fevers and many symptoms that could be mistaken for ones related to the flu. If you feel nausea or always feel very bloated or full, that might all be due to swollen organs like the liver or spleen that will cause weight loss and fatigue. Finally, it is possible to experience headaches, as well, as the disease can interfere with the nervous system.

To diagnose this disease, you will have to undergo medical tests that usually examine the bone marrow and do blood counts to see what the situation is. Also a lymph node biopsy is performed, as well, to see whether you have it in certain situations. The damage to the organs is also determined from the blood tests and sometimes doctors will perform X-Rays and MRIS or other kinds of screening tests. Usually this is treated with medications that are combined with chemotherapy radiation and sometimes radiation therapy.

Also, some patients benefit immensely from a bone marrow transplant, as well. It is important to get the proper tests because left untreated, leukemia can be a deadly and fatal disease. But, there are treatment options and ways to beat it.




Roberto Sedycias works as an IT consultant for PoloMercantil





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Myelodysplastic Syndrome Symptoms


Myelodysplastic syndromes (or MDS) are a group of disorders that keenly affects the bone marrow and its production of blood cells in the body. People who developed MDS have abnormal levels of red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets due to erratic activities of stem cells inside the bone marrow. The illness usually occurs in elderly people, about age 50 and above; but younger individuals also get inflicted. It is a disease that changes the life of the patients.

Myelodysplastic syndrome symptoms vary so it is oftentimes overlooked during diagnosis. Researches show that MDS is rarely inherited. In many cases, its cause is unknown. Although several risk factors like exposure to benzene is linked to the occurrence and development of MDS in patients. The term secondary MDS refers to cases that followed after cancer treatments like chemotherapy. The potent drugs used in chemotherapy are known to be toxic to the bone marrow.

What are the Common Myelodysplastic Syndrome Symptoms?

Symptoms of MDS may differ depending on the age of the patient and the stage of the illness upon diagnosis. Most of the signs also have great similarity to symptoms of other diseases that MDS is often hard to diagnose. The patient often has to undergo complete physical examination and a thorough medical/health history before positive results can be obtained.

Anemia is one of the most common sign of MDS. This is due to the reduced number of red blood cells circulating in the bloodstream. Anemia is often accompanied by chronic fatigue, chilled sensation, and shortness of breath. When the level of white blood cells is very low, neutropenia occurs as another symptom of MDS. The patient is more susceptible to infections due to lack of neutrophil cells in the blood. Other MDS symptoms include: unusually pale skin, chest pain, uncontrolled bleeding, and easy bruising.

What are the Clinical Examinations that Help Diagnose Myelodysplastic Syndrome?

A complete blood count and blood smear test will be performed to see if there were any unusual occurrences with the blood cells and platelets. If the blood cell count was shown as abnormally low, the next test called biopsy will involve getting a bone marrow sample. A special testing called cytogenetics will take a close look at the chromosomes found within the bone marrow cells taken from the patient. When chromosomes count is not normal, the patient is MDS positive.




David Austin is an Attorney focused on complex injury cases. You can learn more about Myelodysplastic Syndrome Symptoms at his website: http://www.Burke-Eisner.com





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Information About Cancer


Though we have all heard the term "Cancer" through many sources, the exact facts and details of the disease is not very widely known. Cancer is one of the world's deadliest diseases and is a completely curable if detected at an early age. It is therefore a must to possess awareness about it and this article is a consolidation of the facts and details related to this disease.

What is Cancer?

Cancer is not a single disease but a class of diseases which are typically characterized by random and out-of-control growth in the human body cells. These random cell growth leads to invasion of other normal cells around them leading to their destruction. The cancerous cells divide in an uncontrollable fashion and form lumps or tissue masses known as tumors. These tumors affect the body part where they grow and disrupt their normal functioning. The cancerous cells also spread to other parts of the body through blood or lymph and cause further cell destruction.

Oncologists are physicians or researchers who study about the diagnosis, treatment and sure of cancer. The study of cancer is by itself known as oncology.

Types of Cancer

Cancer can typically affect every organ of the body and spread the disease by destroying the neighbouring cells. The various cancers are named typically after the place where they originate in the body. For example, Breast cancer is cancer that originates in the cells of the breast. With about more than 100 types of cancer, this class of diseases is divided into five broad categories.

* Cancer that originates in the skin or in the tissues that cover the internal organs is known as Carcinoma.

* Cancer that starts in the bone, fat muscle, cartilage or blood vessels are known as Sarcoma.

* Cancer in the blood forming tissues like the bone marrow is known as Leukaemia. This type of cancer enters the blood stream and spreads to all the parts of the body.

* Cancer that begins in the immune system of the body is known as Lymphoma and Myeloma.

* Cancer in the cells of the brain and spinal cord are known as Central nervous system cancer.

Symptoms of Cancer

The symptoms of cancer are an important factor in the early detection, though some types of cancer do not exhibit any symptoms at all unless they are in the advanced state. Though each type of cancer exhibits different types of symptoms there are few symptoms that are common to most of the cancers. The patient can exhibit a broad spectrum of symptoms which might not be very specific to the type of cancer like fatigue, unintentional weight loss, fever, bowel changes and chronic cough. Pain is most of the times a symptom of cancer in the advanced form. Pain in the lower back can be symptoms of colon or ovarian cancer while shoulder pain can be a symptom of lung cancer. Though stomach pain can be normally caused by many reasons, stomach cancer is also associated with acute stomach pain.

How harmful is the cancer?

The disease cancer claims the lives of millions of people around the world every year. It is dangerous and life-threatening when it develops as tumors and starts spreading around. The cells may move through the body through lymph systems or the blood and can destroy the other healthy cells in the body. Such a process is known invasion and affects other internal organs other than its place of cancerous origin. Such a tumor that grows, invades and spreads destroying other tissues is known as a metastasized tumor and is a very serious condition which is at times beyond treatment levels.

How is Cancer caused?

The disease cancer is majorly an environmental disease where about 90-95% of the scenarios are caused due to factors like lifestyle and environmental conditions. Only about 5-10% of the cases are caused by genetic disorders. The common factors that lead to environmental causes of cancer are tobacco, obesity, infections, radiation and environmental pollutants. These factors affect the basic underlying genetic cell material leading to the disease.

Treatment course of Cancer

The definitive diagnosis of cancer requires clinical examination of the biopsy specimen. Sometimes initial indication of the malignancy can be through symptomatic or by radiographic imaging abnormalities. Once diagnosed, cancer is normally treated by chemotherapy, surgery or radiation or a mixture of two or more methods. Treatment also depends on the types of cancer and the stage in which the disease has progressed. There are many specific treatment methods that are followed based on the type of cancer and medical advancement has bought in many new types of targeted therapies for the specific kind of cancer. The targeted therapy also works on cancerous cells showcasing abnormal behaviour and reduces the damage caused to normal cells.

How can your effectively prevent cancer?

Cancer prevention is easier than cancer treatment. Though there are many factors that can cause cancer, a few simple changes to your lifestyle can help you prevent them. The below are few methods that you can accommodate or follow to ensure prevention or early detection of cancer.

* Avoid direct or indirect form of smoking

* Look out for skin changes and take care to avoid harmful exposure to the sun

* Maintain a healthy diet of natural fruits and vegetables and limit fat contents

* Keep your alcohol intake within limits

* Remember a healthy exercised body keeps out cancer better

* Learn about any genetic disorders in the family and take necessary screenings

* Beware of harmful substances in your work environment

* Follow safe sexual methods

* Obtain regular cancer screening to detect at early stage

Cancer Research is one of the major scientific efforts that is being undertaken to understand the disease better and find possible therapies. There are many national and international cancer institutes that have been established for this purpose. Since 1971, major advancements have been made in the field of molecular biology and cellular biology leading to many new and advanced treatment modes for cancer.




For more information about Cancer please visit our site http://www.howcurecancer.com.





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The Value of Good Nutrition For Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Patients


A commonly-known cancer is Hodgkin's lymphoma, but one that is even more common is Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a cancer that develops in the lymphocytes (certain white blood cells). The risk of developing Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma increases with age, and is even more common in people over the age of 60. However, this is a cancer that knows no age limits, and is found in patients of all ages.

Early detection is extremely important when it comes to the treatment of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and testing must be done, as this is a disease that is easily mistaken with other illnesses. Some of the symptoms of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma include swollen lymph nodes, weight loss, fever, night sweats, fatigue, abdominal pain, chest pain, coughing and other breathing issues, and very itchy skin.

Risk factors of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma include organ transplant, use of immunosuppressant drugs, AIDS, exposure to certain chemicals (i.e. insecticides) and infection with Helicobacter pylori, which causes ulcers.

Diagnosis and Treatment of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

There are many tests that can accurately diagnose Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, including X-ray, CT scan, MRI or PET scan, physical exam, blood tests, biopsies (including bone marrow) and urine tests. There are about 30 classifications of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, with Stage I the earliest and easiest to treat.

Treatment for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma include chemotherapy, radiation, stem cell transplants, surgery, as well as two more types of treatment: Biotherapy and Interferon Therapy.

Biotherapy: The use of several medications in combination to treat the disease.

Interferon Therapy: Using interferons (proteins) that fight viral infection.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Treatment Should Include A Healthy Diet

Just like in the treatment of any health condition, a healthy diet plays a vital role in the treatment of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This is a disease that will attack the body when it is vulnerable, especially when the immune system is low. One way to maintain a healthy immune system is to eat a healthy, well-balanced diet that is rich in protein. A physician will be able to help Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients choose a sensible diet plan that is well-suited to their needs. This diet must include the three macronutrients: proteins, fats and carbohydrates, in the proper amounts.

Fats - Even though we hear so many stories about how unhealthy fat is, in actuality, fat is necessary, but healthy fats. Some healthy fats are those that are rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, and can be found in cold water fish, including salmon, as well as olive oil and nuts.

Carbohydrates - Another supposed diet no-no, the right carbohydrates are also necessary for a well-balanced diet. In fact, carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the body. Complex carbohydrates are healthier, as they digest slowly. There are a number of healthy, delicious sources of good complex carbohydrates, including certain vegetables, and whole grains.

Proteins - Proteins are a macronutrient that the body depends on for survival. Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids, created from nitrogen, carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Healthy proteins come from two sources, plants and animals, with animal proteins (except soy, which is a complete protein) being the best as they contain all eight essential amino acids and all 14 non-essential amino acids.

Protein Supplements

Many Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients find that they are not getting the amount of protein they need in their diets, and often, protein supplements are recommended. Many protein supplements are fat and carbohydrate-free, and are low in calories.

Protein powders are also popular, because they can be added to just about any recipe, including shakes and smoothies that make delicious meal replacements. Most healthy diets include between-meal snacks, and there are a number of great-tasting protein bars and other snacks that are made just for this purpose. They will provide the protein patients need, as well as a boost of energy. Protein powders are available unflavored to add to recipes, or for drinks, they come in such delicious flavors as chocolate, vanilla, berry and fruit punch.

There are a number of different protein supplements available, including powders, liquids and capsules, and they are made from a number of natural protein sources. For example, many protein supplements are made from whey, which is a milk derivative and a bi-product from the cheese-making process. Whey is a complete protein, and very easy to digest. Another complete protein is soy, which is extremely popular. People who have food allergies and sensitivities may want to try protein supplements made from rice proteins, which are considered to by hypoallergenic, as well as complete proteins.

Jason: A Case Study

After being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Jason's physician put him on a treatment program, which included chemotherapy and radiation, followed by a number of drugs. After a few weeks, Jason noticed that although he wasn't feeling any worse, he certainly wasn't feeling any better. He was sluggish, and just didn't have any energy at all, not even to perform his daily routines.

During his next visit with his physician, Jason mentioned how he was feeling, and asked if it may be the medication causing this, and if there was anything that he could do to help him feel better. The physician recommended a high-protein diet, because it is not only great for muscle recovery following surgery and illness, it is also a terrific source of energy. The physician sat down with Jason and set up an ideal diet plan for him, which also included protein supplements.

After a few weeks of being on this new diet, Jason began to notice that he had more energy, and that he was actually starting to feel better. He told his physician how great he was feeling, and said he wished that he had learned about eating healthy and using protein supplements a long time ago. Jason still uses the supplements in his diet, and is getting better every day.




About Protica Research

Founded in 2001, Protica, Inc. is a nutritional research firm specializing in the development of protein-rich, capsulized foods (dense nutrition in compact liquid and food forms). Protica manufactures Profect protein beverage, IsoMetric, Fruitasia and more than 100 other brands in its GMP-certified, 250,000 square foot facility.

You can learn more about Protica at http://www.protica.com

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2012年9月21日 星期五

Your Basic Knowledge on Cancer


What is Cancer

Cancer is any malignant growth caused by abnormal and uncontrolled cell division.It is a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth. There are many different types of cancer; each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected. Cancer is harmful to the body when damaged cells divide uncontrollably to form lumps of tissue called tumors, which can grow and with the digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems, and they can release hormones alter body function. When a tumor spreads to other parts of the body and grows and destroying other healthy tissues, it is said to have metastasized, which results a serious condition

Classification of Cancer

Cancer is classified as below categories.


Carcinomas are cancers by cells that cover internal and external parts of the body include lung, breast, and colon cancer.
Sarcomas are characterized by cells that are located in bones, cartilage, fat, connective tissue, muscles, and other supportive tissues.
Lymphomas are cancers which begin in the lymph nodes and immune system tissues.
Leukemia's are cancers which start in the bone marrow and often accumulate in the bloodstream
Adenomas are cancers arise in the thyroid, the pituitary gland, the adrenal gland, and other glandular tissues.

Cancers are often referred by terms contain a prefix related to the cell type, cancer originated and a suffix such as sarcoma, carcinoma.

General symptoms of Cancer

Cancer is a disease that can give many symptoms or signs of an entirely different type of illness. Cancer cells will develop in organs where they will not manifest themselves so that; a tumor often doesn't produce symptoms. Some cancer types create symptoms as below.


Excess in Fatigue changes occur in bowel movements, Pain with cancer, which are usually cancers of the bones, colon, and ovary. Unexpected loss of weight, chronic indigestion is a symptom of tumors in the stomach. Any symptom should not be ignored and for further check up, it is recommended that to see a physician.

How Cancer Diagnosed

Early detection of cancer can improve the odds of successful treatment. To diagnose cancer, physicians use information from symptoms and several other procedures.

Doctors conduct an endoscope, which is a procedure that uses a small tube with a camera and light at one end, to look for abnormalities inside the body imaging techniques means, X-rays, CT scans, MRI scans, PET scans, and ultrasound scans are used regularly to detect where the tumor is located and what organs will be affected by it. Absolute way to diagnose cancer is extracting cancer cells and looking at them under a microscope is the only, which is called a biopsy. To diagnose cancer, molecular diagnostics, biopsies, and imaging techniques are all used together.




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Disorders of Immune System - AIDS


AIDS is the most typical immunodeficiency disorder worldwide, and HIV infection is one from the best epidemics in human history. AIDS is the consequence of a chronic retroviral virus that produces extreme, life-threatening CD4 helper T-lymphocyte dysfunction, opportunistic infections, and malignancy.

Retroviruses include viral RNA that is transcribed by viral reverse transcriptase into double-stranded DNA, which can be integrated into the host genome. Cellular activation leads to transcription of HIV gene items and viral replication. AIDS is defined by serologic evidence of HIV virus with the presence of a range of indicator diseases related to medical immunodeficiency.

HIV is transmitted by coverage to infected body fluids or sexual or perinatal make contact with. Transmissibility from the HIV virus is related to subtype virulence, viral load, and immunologic host factors. Acute HIV virus may present as an acute, self-limited, febrile viral syndrome characterized by exhaustion, pharyngitis, myalgias, rash, lymphadenopathy, and significant viremia without detectable anti-HIV antibodies.

Following an initial viremic phase, individuals seroconvert along with a period of clinical latency is usually observed. Lymph tissues turn out to be centers for substantial viral replication during a "silent," or asymptomatic, stage of HIV virus despite an absence of detectable trojan in the peripheral blood. Over time, there's a progressive decline in CD4 T lymphocytes, a reversal from the regular CD4:CD8 T-lymphocyte ratio, and numerous other immunologic derangements.

The clinical manifestations are directly related to HIV tissue tropism and defective immune function. Development of neurologic complications, opportunistic infections, or malignancy signal marked immune deficiency. The time course for progression varies, but the median time before appearance of medical illness is about ten many years. Around 10% of individuals infected manifest rapid progression to AIDS within five many years after virus.

A minority of individuals are "long-term nonprogressors." Genetic elements, host cytotoxic immune responses, and viral load and virulence appear to effect susceptibility to virus and the rate of disease progression. Chemokines (chemoattractant cytokines) regulate leukocyte trafficking to sites of inflammation and have been discovered to play a significant role in the pathogenesis of HIV illness.

During the initial stages of virus and viral proliferation, virion entry and cellular infection requires binding to two coreceptors on target T lymphocytes and monocyte/macrophages. All HIV strains express the envelope protein gp120 that binds to CD4 molecules, but different viral strains display tissue "tropism" or specificity on the basis from the coreceptor they recognize. These coreceptors belong towards the chemokine receptor family.

Changes in viral phenotype throughout the course of HIV virus may lead to changes in tropism and cytopathology at different stages of disease. Viral strains isolated in early stages of infection (eg, R5 viruses) demonstrate tropism toward macrophages. X4 strains of HIV are a lot more commonly seen in later stages of illness.

X4 viruses bind to chemokine receptor CXCR4, more broadly expressed on T cells, and are related to syncytium formation. A small percentage of individuals possessing nonfunctional alleles for the polymorphic chemokine receptor CCR5 appear to be highly resistant to HIV virus or display delayed progression of disease. Mathematical models estimate that throughout HIV virus billions of virions are produced and cleared each day.

The reverse transcription step of HIV replication is error prone; mutations occur frequently, and even within an individual patient, HIV heterogeneity develops rapidly. The improvement of antigenically and phenotypically distinct strains contributes to progression of illness, medical drug resistance, and lack of efficacy of early vaccines. Cellular activation is critical for viral infectivity and reactivation of integrated proviral DNA.

Although only 2% of mononuclear cells are found peripherally, lymph nodes from HIV-infected individuals can include large amounts of trojan sequestered among infected follicular dendritic cells within the germinal centers.

The marked decline in CD4 T-lymphocyte counts-characterizing HIV infection-is due to several mechanisms, including the pursuing: (1) direct HIV-mediated destruction of CD4 T lymphocytes, (2) autoimmune destruction of virus-infected T cells, (3) depletion by fusion and development of multinucleated giant cells (syncytium formation), (4) toxicity of viral proteins to CD4 T lymphocytes and hematopoietic precursors, and (five) induction of apoptosis (programmed cell death).

CD8 CTL activity is initially brisk and effective at controlling viremia through elimination of trojan and virus-infected cells. Ultimately, viral proliferation outpaces host responses, and HIV-induced immunosuppression leads to disease development. Loss of viral containment occurs with lack of adequate helper T purpose and decreased IL-2 production leading to diminution of CD8+ T-cell-dependent cytotoxic responses.

Subsequently, there is an accumulation of viral escape mutations with general cytokine dysregulation detrimental to maintenance of lymphatic organs, bone marrow integrity, and effective immune responses. In addition to the cell-mediated immune defects, B-lymphocyte function is altered such that numerous infected individuals have marked hypergammaglobulinemia but impaired specific antibody responses.

Both anamnestic responses and individuals to neoantigens can be impaired. However, the role of humoral immunity in controlling viremia or slowing disease development is unclear. The development of assays to measure viral burden (plasma HIV-RNA quantification) has led to a better understanding of HIV dynamics and has provided a tool for assessing response to therapy.

It is now well recognized that viral replication continues all through the disease, and immune deterioration occurs despite clinical latency. The risk of progression to AIDS appears correlated with an individual's viral load after seroconversion. Data from a number of large clinical cohorts have shown that there's a direct correlation between the CD4 T-lymphocyte count and also the risk of AIDS-defining opportunistic infections.

Thus, the viral load and also the degree of CD4 T-lymphocyte depletion serve as important clinical indicators of immune status in HIV-infected people. Prophylaxis for opportunistic infections such as pneumocystis pneumonia is started when CD4 T-lymphocyte counts reach the 200-250 cells/ L variety.

Similarly, patients with HIV virus with fewer than 50 CD4 T lymphocytes/ L are at significantly increased risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis and Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection. Cells other than CD4 T lymphocytes contribute to the pathogenesis of HIV infection.

Monocytes, macrophages, and dendritic cells can be infected with HIV and facilitate transfer of trojan to lymphoid tissues and immunoprivileged sites, such as the CNS. HIV-infected monocytes will also release large quantities from the acute-phase reactant cytokines, including IL-1, IL-6, and TNF, contributing to constitutional symptomatology.

TNF, in particular, has been implicated in the severe wasting syndrome observed in patients with advanced illness. Concomitant infections might serve as cofactors for HIV infection, increasing expression of HIV through enhanced cytokine production, coreceptor surface expression, or increased cellular activation mechanisms.

The medical manifestations of AIDS are the direct consequence from the progressive and severe immunologic deficiency induced by HIV. Patients are susceptible to a wide variety of atypical or opportunistic infections with bacterial, viral, protozoal, and fungal pathogens. Common nonspecific symptoms consist of fever, night sweats, and weight loss. Weight loss and cachexia can be due to nausea, vomiting, anorexia, or diarrhea.

They often portend a poor prognosis. The incidence of infection increases as the CD4 T lymphocyte number declines. Lung virus with Pneumocystis jiroveci is the most common opportunistic infection, affecting 75% of individuals. Patients present clinically with fevers, cough, shortness of breath, and hypoxemia ranging in severity from mild to existence threatening.

A diagnosis of pneumocystis pneumonia could be made by substantiation from the medical and radiographic findings with Wright-Giemsa or silver methenamine staining of induced sputum samples. A negative sputum stain does not rule out disease in patients in whom there's a strong clinical suspicion of disease, and further diagnostic maneuvers such as bronchoalveolar lavage or fiberoptic transbronchial biopsy might be required to establish the diagnosis.

Issues of pneumocystis pneumonia include pneumothoraces, progressive parenchymal disease with severe respiratory insufficiency, and, most commonly, adverse reactions to the medications used for treatment and prophylaxis.

As a consequence of chronic immune dysfunction, HIV-infected individuals are also at high risk for other pulmonary infections, including bacterial infections with S pneumoniae and H influenzae; mycobacterial infections with M tuberculosis or M avium-intracellulare (MAC); and fungal infections with C neoformans, H capsulatum, or C immitis. Medical suspicion followed by early diagnosis of these infections should lead to aggressive treatment.

The improvement of active tuberculosis is significantly accelerated in HIV virus as a result of compromised cellular immunity. The risk of reactivation is estimated to be 5-10% per year in HIV-infected patients compared having a lifetime risk of 10% in those without having HIV. Furthermore, diagnosis may be delayed because of anergic skin responses.

Extrapulmonary manifestations occur in up to 70% of HIV-infected individuals with tuberculosis, and the emergence of multidrug resistance may compound the problem. MAC is really a less virulent pathogen than M tuberculosis, and disseminated infections usually occur only with extreme medical immunodeficiency.

Symptoms are nonspecific and typically consist of fever, weight loss, anemia, and GI distress with diarrhea. The presence on physical examination of oral candidiasis (thrush) and hairy leukoplakia is highly correlated with HIV infection and portends rapid development to AIDS.

Abnormal outgrowth of Candida from normal mouth flora is the cause of persistent oral candidiasis, whereas Epstein-Barr trojan is the cause of hairy leukoplakia. HIV-infected people with oral candidiasis are at much greater risk for esophageal candidiasis, which might existing as substernal pain and dysphagia. This infection and its characteristic medical presentation are so common that most practitioners treat with empiric oral antifungal therapy.

Should the patient not respond rapidly, other explanations for the esophageal symptoms should be explored, including herpes simplex and CMV infections. Persistent diarrhea, especially when accompanied by high fevers and abdominal pain, might signal infectious enterocolitis.

The list of potential pathogens in such cases is lengthy and includes bacteria, MAC, protozoans (cryptosporidium, microsporidia, Isospora belli, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia), and even HIV itself. HIV-associated gastropathy and malabsorption are commonly noted in these individuals.

Because of their reduced gastric acid concentrations, individuals have an increased susceptibility to virus with Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Shigella. Co-infection with viral hepatitis (HBV, HCV, CMV) can lead to end-stage liver disease, but fortunately, institution of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can lead to a reduction in medical HBV illness.

Skin lesions commonly related to HIV virus are typically classified as infectious (viral, bacterial, fungal), neoplastic, or nonspecific. Herpes simplex virus (HSV) and herpes zoster virus (HZV) may cause chronic persistent or progressive lesions in individuals with compromised cellular immunity.

HSV commonly causes oral and perianal lesions but can be an AIDS-defining sickness when involving the lung or esophagus. The risk of disseminated HSV or HZV virus and the presence of molluscum contagiosum appear to be correlated using the extent of immunoincompetence.

Seborrheic dermatitis caused by Pityrosporum ovale and fungal skin infections (Candida albicans, dermatophyte species) are also commonly observed in HIV-infected patients. Staphylococcus including methacillin-resistant S aureus can cause the folliculitis, furunculosis, and bullous impetigo commonly observed in HIV-infected individuals, which require aggressive treatment to prevent dissemination and sepsis.

Bacillary angiomatosis is a potentially fatal dermatologic disorder of tumor-like proliferating vascular endothelial cell lesions, the result of infection by Bartonella quintana or Bartonella henselae. The lesions might resemble those of Kaposi's sarcoma but respond to treatment with erythromycin or tetracycline. CNS manifestations in HIV-infected patients consist of infections and malignancies.

Toxoplasmosis frequently presents with space-occupying lesions, causing headache, altered mental status, seizures, or focal neurologic deficits. Cryptococcal meningitis commonly manifests as headache and fever. Up to 90% of patients with cryptococcal meningitis exhibit a positive serum test for Cryptococcus neoformans antigen.

HIV-associated cognitive-motor complex, or AIDS dementia complex, is the most frequently diagnosed cause of altered mental status in HIV-infected patients. Patients typically have difficulty with cognitive tasks, poor short-term memory, slowed motor purpose, personality changes, and waxing and waning dementia. Up to 50% of patients with AIDS suffer from this disorder, perhaps caused by glial or macrophage infection by HIV resulting in destructive inflammatory changes within the CNS.

The differential diagnosis can be broad, including metabolic disturbances and toxic encephalopathy resulting from drugs. Other causes of altered mental status consist of neurosyphilis, CMV or herpes simplex encephalitis, lymphoma, and progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a progressive demyelinating disease caused by a JC papovavirus.

Peripheral nervous system manifestations of HIV virus include sensory, motor, and inflammatory polyneuropathies. Almost 33% of individuals with advanced HIV disease develop peripheral tingling, numbness, and pain in their extremities. These symptoms are likely to become due to loss of nerve axons from direct neuronal HIV infection.

Alcoholism, thyroid disease, syphilis, vitamin B12 deficiency, drug toxicity (ddI, ddC), CMV-associated ascending polyradiculopathy, and transverse myelitis also cause peripheral neuropathies. Less commonly, HIV-infected patients can develop an inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy similar to Guillain-Barre syndrome; however, unlike the sensory neuropathies, this inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy typically presents before the onset of clinically apparent immunodeficiency.

The origin of this condition is not known, although an autoimmune reaction is suspected. Retinitis resulting from CMV virus is the most typical cause of rapidly progressive visual loss in HIV virus. The diagnosis could be difficult to make because Toxoplasma gondii virus, microinfarction, and retinal necrosis can all cause visual loss. HIV-related malignancies commonly seen in AIDS include Kaposi's sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, primary CNS lymphoma, invasive cervical carcinoma, and anal squamous cell carcinoma.

Impairment of immune surveillance and defense and increased coverage to oncogenic viruses appear to contribute towards the development of neoplasms. Kaposi's sarcoma is the most typical HIV-associated cancer. In San Francisco, 15-20% of HIV-infected homosexual men develop this tumor during the progression of their disease.

Kaposi's sarcoma is uncommon in women and children for reasons that are not clear. Unlike classic Kaposi's sarcoma, which affects elderly men within the Mediterranean, the illness in HIV-infected individuals may present with either localized cutaneous lesions or disseminated visceral involvement.

It is often a progressive disease, and pulmonary involvement could be fatal. Histologically, the lesions of Kaposi's sarcoma consist of a mixed cell population that includes vascular endothelial cells and spindle cells within a collagen network.

Human herpesvirus 8 is associated with Kaposi's sarcoma in patients with AIDS. HIV itself appears to induce cytokines and growth factors that stimulate tumor cell proliferation rather than causing malignant cellular transformation. Clinically, cutaneous Kaposi's sarcoma typically presents as a purplish nodular skin lesion or painless oral lesion.

Sites of visceral involvement include the lung, lymph nodes, liver, and GI tract. In the GI tract, Kaposi's sarcoma can produce chronic blood loss or acute hemorrhage. In the lung, it often presents as coarse nodular infiltrates bilaterally, frequently related to pleural effusions.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is particularly aggressive in HIV-infected individuals and usually indicative of substantial immune compromise. The majority of these tumors are high-grade B-cell lymphomas with a predilection for dissemination. The CNS is frequently involved either as a primary site or as an extranodal site of widespread disease.

Anal dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma are also more commonly found in HIV-infected homosexual men. These tumors appear to become related to concomitant anal or rectal infection with human papillomavirus (HPV). In HIV-infected women, the incidence of HPV-related cervical dysplasia is as high as 40%, and dysplasia can progress rapidly to invasive cervical carcinoma.

Adherence to multidrug regimens remains a challenge, but clearly antiretroviral therapy improves immune purpose. For reasons that are not clear, HIV-infected patients have an unusually high rate of adverse reactions to a wide variety of antibiotics and frequently develop severe debilitating cutaneous reactions.

Drug hypersensitivity and toxicity can be severe, potentially life-threatening, and limiting with certain agents. Immune reconstitution syndrome is really a described reaction occurring days to weeks following initiation of HAART.

Medical relapse or worsening of mycobacterial, pneumocystis, hepatitis, or neurological infections occurs as a result of a resurgence of immune activity, causing paradoxical worsening of inflammation, possibly as residual antigens or subclinical pathogens are attacked.

Other issues of HIV-infection include arthritides, myopathy, GI syndromes, dysfunction of the adrenal and thyroid glands, hematologic cytopenias, and nephropathy. Since the illness was first described in 1981, medical knowledge of the underlying pathogenesis of AIDS has increased at a rate unprecedented in medical background.

This knowledge has led towards the rapid improvement of therapies directed at controlling HIV virus as well as the multitude of complicating opportunistic infections and cancers.




Francesco Zinzaro has been involved with online marketing for nearly 3 years and likes to write on various subjects. Come visit his latest website which discusses of Mesothelioma Treatment Options [http://mesothelioma-treatmentoptions.org/] and cancer information [http://mesothelioma-treatmentoptions.org/] for the owner of his own health-care.





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Description of Lymphoma


The first notice as painless enlarged lymph nodes (adenopathy or lymphadenopathy) is lymphoma. Generally enlarged lymph nodes do not mean lymphoma. The diagnosis of lymphoma can be determined or excluded by a biopsy and subsequent pathology evaluations of the tissue.

Depending on the type of lymphoma and where the lymphoma is actively growing symptoms can vary. Symptoms like anemia (low red blood cells count) the bone marrow dysfunction are not so common but are present in later stages of the disease and also as side effect of some treatments. MALT lymphomas may present as an upset stomach or an enlarged lymph node can cause a change in bowel movement.

It can be difficult to identify the meaning of a symptom because some of these may be common to certain stages of lymphoma and to specific treatments. Other medical conditions and illnesses that are unrelated to lymphoma like flu or an ulcer can be developed. There are other informations that doctor must know when he is informed about a symptom like: the intensity, the size and appearance, when it started, how long it has lasted, if it waxes and wanes, the medications and supplements used and the beginning of uses them, how the symptom might change when position is changed, association of the symptom with meals or specific foods, the time of day the symptom might be most intense.

These and other details help the doctor to identify the possible cause or causes, or if further tests are warranted. The common symptoms that appear are unexplained and persistent: anemia, appetite loss, fatigue, fever, flu-like symptoms - aches, fever, chills, infections associated with low white count, night sweats - drenching, pain; itchy skin (purititis), red patches; jaundice - yellowish tinge (related to liver function), swollen and painless lymph nodes, swollen spleen or liver, thrombocytopenia and weight loss.

B-symptoms are common and a onset of them may suggest that the lymphoma is progressing. Also b-symptoms present unexplained and persistent: fever and chills, drenching night sweats, fatigue, pruritus and weight loss. Other symptoms are flu-like symptoms like aches and pains, localized pain that may occur depending on the location of tumors, and frequent infections resulting from depressed immunity.

The diagnosis of lymphoma (which requires a biopsy) is often delayed because b-symptoms are common to both minor and serious medical conditions. Fever, night sweats, weight loss in excess of 10%, or asthenia, called systemic symptoms are infrequent at presentation of the disease but can be observed in later stages. If a patient develops systemic symptoms the progression to an intermediate-grade or high-grade lymphoma should be considered. To monitor progression monitoring blood for increasing levels of LDH and Human beta-2 microglobulin is used.

If a person present some of these symptoms a doctor should be consult for a proper treatment.




For more resources about lymphoma or even about non hodgkins lymphoma please review this page http://www.lymphoma-center.com/non-hodgkins-lymphoma.htm





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2012年9月20日 星期四

How Strong Are You?


As children many of us thought strength was only measured in physical terms; how many pounds you could lift, how big your muscles were, how successful you were in an arm wrestling match. As we grew older we came to realize that strength was also mental; how to resist peer pressure, how to stay home and study for that exam even though all your friends are out partying. For many of us, our physical strength gets tested more often than the mental so we can't categorically answer, How strong are you?

How many of us would be able to go through chemotherapy with a smile? How many of us would handle losing their hair with panache? How many of us would be able to face your mortality head on and have absolute faith even through the darkest hour that there would be a tomorrow? The strongest person I know was able to do all that and more. She barely touches 5'5, she cannot bench press half her weight and she would probably lose in an arm wrestling match but strong she is.

She was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia at the age of 26, three and a half months ago. From the beginning she was the one telling you "Don't worry, I'm going to be fine", she was the one to make you smile, help you feel better. One of her doctors calls her "Sunshine" and that she is. We've know each other more than 10 years, she was always the more flamboyant one, she stepped into a room and charmed everyone in seconds. The Yin to my Yang, I prefer being an observer and she loves being the center of attention.

In late 2007 as my 26th birthday approached we decided we would have a Thanksgiving get together with all our friends and celebrate the official cross over to late-twenties-only-a-few-years-from-thirty event. By that time everyone was scattered across North America and we would have a weekly teleconference with up to four ladies on the phone giggling and talking for hours on end. Our tickets were booked, our topics for drunken discussion were written, our bags were half way packed and we were ready. Our plans were forever changed.

On November 1 my best friend was diagnosed with Leukemia. You think ... LEUKEMIA?! BUT SHE'S ONLY 26?! THE DOCTORS MUST BE WRONG! In our naivety we think we are immortal, think our age somehow protects us ... how wrong we are. November 1 - diagnosis, November 2 - immediate treatment. It's all happening so fast, you turn to Google for answers, you search for "Acute Myeloid Leukemia" and read a medical journal that says " ... if left untreated the person can die in a matter of weeks". Oh. My. God. Your worry doubles, yet you're still grateful it was caught it in time. Thank you Lord!

You start hearing words like chemotherapy, biopsy, transfusion, transplant and you can't imagine what your friend must be going through if you are so devastated. And yet her spirit still shines like a beacon ... Absolutely amazing. You experience first hand the pain she's going through, you hear her bed rattle because she is uncontrollably shivering as a side effect of her medication, you count at least 7 different cocktail of medications being fed to her intravenously, you see her lose 30 pounds in 6 weeks, you rub anti-itching lotion on her body because yet another medication causes her to itch all over and yet her absolute belief in her healing never wavers. Even through her tears, she trusted. Even in her pain, she believed. And that is STRENGTH.

For many the worrying and what ifs would compound their problems, the doubts would stifle their spirit; the depression would increase their pain. I don't think I have that kind of strength, I would like to hope that I do but having lived a fairly 'test free' life so far, so I can't say with absolute certainty that I would. My friend's situation has opened my eyes, made me more compassionate to others' situation. It wasn't that I didn't feel sympathy but it never hit you at that deep level I guess because you couldn't relate. Unfortunately it takes us or someone close to us going through such a situation for us to know.

My friend is not out of the woods yet. Her cancer is currently in remission however she needs to have a bone marrow transplant done, as the results of photo-genetic tests show the probability of her cancer reoccurring is very high. She has a long road ahead of her but thankfully she is now out of the hospital. The search for a donor is on, she has three siblings and none matched. When we are healthy we never realize how something as small as a pint of our blood can change someone's life. Become a donor.

My friend's experience has taught everyone around her to value the seconds, minutes, hours. Value your relationships ... one small deed can make the difference in another's life. Her lesson to us is to prove that mental fortitude can conquer the physical. She continues to smile through the pain and hold firm in her belief.




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Stem Cell Treatment For Osteoarthritis - What is it All About?


While many new and amazing therapies for rheumatoid arthritis have been developed in recent years, very little progress has been made in the treatment of osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and affects approximately 30 million Americans. OA is a disease of articular cartilage, the gristle that caps the ends of long bones. Cartilage has both gliding as well as shock absorbing properties.

It is this flexibility of function that enables a joint to work properly.

Normal cartilage is composed of cells called chondrocytes that sit inside a matrix consisting of collagen and glycosaminoglycans... much like grapes inside Jello.

Osteoarthritis develops when the chondrocyte begins to malfunction and starts to produce destructive enzymes. At the same time water content inside the matrix changes making it more susceptible to stress. Small cracks, called "fissures" develop. Also, local inflammation involving the lining of the joint- called the synovium- begins. The end result is a gradual and premature wearing away of cartilage.

This process is most apparent in weight-bearing areas such as the neck, low back, hips, and knees.

Current approaches to the treatment of OA involve the use of analgesics (pain-relieving medicines), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), physical therapy, proper weight management, exercises, injections of steroids, injections of viscosupplements (lubricants), and surgery.

While many of the above treatments help relieve pain, they do nothing to prevent cartilage loss... and more importantly, they do nothing to restore cartilage.

Orthopedic techniques such as chondrocyte transplantation and cartilage plug surgery are helpful for discrete, relatively small areas of cartilage loss but are generally reserved for younger people who have had traumatic injuries to cartilage. But what about the older person who suffers from osteoarthritis?

In recent years there has been much interest in the role of regenerative techniques to rebuild cartilage.

The topic of much study are stem cells. Stem cells are pluripotential cells, meaning they are cells that can become any kind of tissue, given the right stimulus. Stem cells can be obtained from embryonic tissue, which is a source of much controversy. Or they can be obtained from adults. The adult body has a small number of stem cells in many tissues. They are activated by injury or illness. Adult stem cells, as a rule, do not have the ability to differentiate as well as embryonic stem cells.

However, in recent years, techniques have been developed to harvest mesenchymal stem cells- stem cells found in the bone marrow. These mesenchymal stem cells cells, when properly prepared and concentrated, have the ability to differentiate into cartilage and bone.

Stem cells are harvested from the the patient's iliac crest bone marrow using local anesthetic and a special type of biopsy needle. The stem cells are then specially concentrated.

After the stem cells are prepared, the physician, using ultrasound guidance and local anesthetic, finds the area of arthritis involvement and irritates the area using a special large needle. This irritation is important because it initiates an inflammatory reaction which is the prelude to healing and regeneration. The areas that are irritated include the capsule, tendon insertions, pericapsular soft tissue, as well as cartilage.

Blood is drawn from the patient and spun in a special centrifuge in order to obtain platelet rich plasma. Platelets are blood cells that contain multiple growth and healing factors.

Once the irritation has been completed, stem cells as well as the platelet rich plasma are injected into the prepared area.

The growth factors within the platelet rich plasma act on receptors found on the surface of stem cells and cause the stem cells to differentiate and multiply.

The end result is cartilage regeneration as well as lessening of pain. While the data is preliminary, the early results appear to be very promising.




Nathan Wei, MD, FACP, FACR is a nationally known rheumatologist. For more info: Arthritis Treatment and Tendonitis Treatment Tips





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What Are the Main Hodgkin's Lymphoma Symptoms?


Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of lymphoma characterized by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells. These cells are seen in lymphocytes, particularly the T-lymphocytes and B-lymphocytes which are types of WBC's. Lymphocytes are part of your body's immune system, so it would be natural to have problems in fighting infections when you have lymphoma.

When a person has Hodgkin's lymphoma, one major sign is having an enlarged, non-tender, rubbery lymph node located at the neck, armpit, chest, or groin. However, some note presence of pain when alcohol is consumed. Hodgkin's lymphoma symptoms can also include difficulty of breathing, chest pain, or persistent cough due to a lymph node that is pressing on the air passages or lungs.

Other Hodgkin's lymphoma symptoms are unexplained weight loss, unexplained fever, and night sweats. Fatigue can result due to anemia brought about by a weakened production and storage of RBC in the bone marrow and spleen respectively. Three Hodgkin's lymphoma symptoms are called "B symptoms" which are weight loss, persistent fever, and night sweats. The presence of these symptoms is used when staging the disease and to determine just how aggressive the treatment would be.

Hodgkin's lymphoma symptoms can happen in any stages of the disease. However, most types of Hodgkin's lymphoma manifest Hodgkin's lymphoma symptoms when the disease is already at Stage III and Stage IV. This is why it is important to undergo biopsy and other tests to confirm the presence of lymphoma so proper treatment can be given to help fight the disease. A swollen lymph node may indicate just a simple infection, but if it lasts for more than two weeks without any sign of decreasing in size, an appointment with a doctor is a must.

Treatment can range from radiotherapy, chemotherapy, to bone marrow transplant. Never miss a treatment regimen and always maintain your regular check up so you and your doctor will know if the treatment is effective or needs modification. High chance of survival is noted in treating Hodgkin's lymphoma no matter what stage it was diagnosed, so never lose hope and join a support group to help you cope with the disease.




Need to learn more about Lymphoma? Be sure to check out Lymphoma Symptoms which contains in-depth information on Hodgkin's Lymphoma Symptoms, treatment, diagnosis, causes and much more.





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2012年9月19日 星期三

All About Hodgkin's Lymphoma


Hodgkin's lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease is a rare for of cancer which is characterized by orderly growth of malignant cells of the lymphatic system. Described for the first time by Thomas Hodgkin in 1832, this disease primarily affects the lymph nodes and later spreads to other parts of the lymphatic system.

The most significant characteristic of Hodgkin's lymphoma is presence of malignant B-cells with unique characteristics. These cells are called as Reed-Sternberg cells. Hodgkin's lymphoma mainly occurs in individuals with depleted immune system and persons infected with viruses including HIV, Epstein-Barr virus and HTLV-I. Epidemiology of this disease is unique. The frequency of Hodgkin's lymphoma is predominant in two separate age groups. These include individuals between 15-35 years of age and individuals above 55 years of age.

Hodgkin's lymphoma is primarily classified into classical Hodgkin's lymphoma (CHL), nodular sclerosis (NS), lymphocyte predominance (LP), mixed cellularity (MC), Lymphocyte depleted (LD) and nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's lymphoma (NLPHL) depending on the Reed-Sternberg cell morphology. The most common symptom of Hodgkin's disease is swelling in the lymph nodes of the neck and chest. Other noticeable symptoms include enlarged spleen, swollen liver, fever, excessive sweating, fatigue, abnormal weight loss and itchy skin. The disease could be medically diagnosed through microscopical examination of Reed-Sternberg cells during biopsy. Other diagnostic methods include physical examination, chest X-rays, blood cell counts, and CT scan and MRI scan of the lymphatic system, PET scanning, gallium scanning and bone marrow aspiration.

Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of the first cancers to have been cured using radiation therapy. Other therapeutic approaches include chemotherapy, bone marrow and peripheral blood transplantation and immunotherapy. The common chemotherapeutic regimens followed for the treatment of Hodgkin's lymphoma include ABVD (Adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarabzine), BEACOPP (bleomycin, etoposide, adriamycin, cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, prednisone), COPP/ABVD, MOPP (mechlorethamine, oncovin, procarbazine, prednisone) and Stanford V.




Check Out More Articles:

Lymphoma Misdiagnosis Story, Good Clinical Practice Job Opportunity, Colorectal Cancer Treatment Modalities,





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What is Large Cell Lymphoma?


Lymphoma is a malignancy found in the lymph system, specifically in the lymphocytes. The common cells that show malignancy in lymphoma are the B-cell or B-lymphocytes and the T-cells or T-lymphocytes. These lymphocytes are responsible for destroying any pathogens that enter the body and memorize them for faster destruction the next time they invade the system. Lymphoma is sub-divided into Hodgkin's Lymphoma (formerly known as Hodgkin's Disease) and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The main difference between the two is the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells, commonly found in Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Large cell lymphoma is a type of lymphoma categorized under Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. This aggressive type of lymphoma usually affects the B-lymphocytes more than T-lymphocytes. Large cell lymphoma is named as such because the malignant cells in this category are bigger compared to malignant cells of other types of lymphoma. Because of its similarity with Burkitt's lymphoma, careful morphological and clinical studies must be conducted to prevent giving the wrong type of treatment.

The cause of this disease is unknown. However, viral infections such as HIV/AIDS and Epstein-Barr virus have been known as risk factors in developing this condition. Exposure to radiation during cancer treatment can pose as a risk in developing secondary lymphoma.

Signs and symptoms of large cell lymphoma are:

- Swollen, painless lymph nodes

- Fatigue due to anemia

- Anorexia

- Night sweats

- Unexplained weight loss

- Unexplained fever

After taking through medical history and physical examination, biopsy of a lymph node is done to confirm the diagnosis of large cell lymphoma. This is done by taking a sample tissue through a minor surgery and studying it under a microscope. Once the diagnosis is confirmed, several lab tests such as imaging studies (X-Rays, PET Scan, CT-Scan, Ultrasound) and blood tests are done to stage the disease.

Treatment of large cell lymphoma is based on the staging. A combination of immunotherapy and chemotherapy is the usual management utilized for lymphoma. The drugs usually have Rituxan, cytoxan, oncovin, and prednisone, a combination of immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and steroids. This is done during the aggressive stage of large cell lymphoma. Once the disease has entered its relapse stage, ICE or DHAP are used. Stage I and Stage II is treated with local radiation therapy, although radiation therapy is also applied along with chemotherapy once large cell lymphoma is at the later stage. Bone marrow transplant is done as a form of aggressive treatment as a last attempt to combat the disease. Research is still being done to fully understand the cause of large cell lymphoma so proper treatment can be done without causing too much stress on the body brought about by the aggressive effects of the medication.




Need to learn more about Lymphoma? Be sure to check out Lymphoma Symptoms which contains in-depth information on Large Cell Lymphoma symptoms, causes, treatment and much more.





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Identifying The Cause, Symptoms And Treatment Of Leukemia


No one in this world would ever want to get sick.? Getting sick is a hassle, a strain and a very big dilemma.? It prevents an individual from doing his activities of daily living.? There is no fun at all when people get sick.? But no matter how hard we try to hate the idea of being sick, if the immune system is weak and if we have lived a sedentary lifestyle, the chance of acquiring diseases is high.

There is a certain type of illness that we all hate and fear to have and it is so called cancer.? Cancer is a deadly disease and it accounts for almost half of the total mortality rate in the whole wide world.? It is scary to think that we might have the disease.? Only few have survived this health illness and we are still hoping that there will be more who will survive this disease.

Cancer has many types and you need to be aware or perhaps be educated about the different types so you will know the symptoms.? Most types of cancer are genetically acquired so if you have relatives who have suffered from cancer, better do some screening so you will know if you too have cancer.? It feels like you were hit by the strongest stun gun once you knew you have cancer.? Shocking and very heart breaking.? Other types of cancer develop because of an individual's diet and lifestyle.? Like lung cancer for instance.? Smoking is one major cause of lung cancer therefore if you have been smoking for a couple of years, better stop it otherwise you will develop lung cancer.

Leukemia is one type of cancer that all age groups can have.? The young and the old are not exempted from this and it is sad to know that many of the little ones have developed and suffered from this type of cancer.? Leukemia is characterized by an abnormal increase of white blood cells and it is one of the most dangerous of blood disorders.?

Since leukemia involves blood cells circulating through the body unlike other types of cancer which focus on the body tissues, it is sometimes not considered a true cancer.? However, leukemia cells when studied under the microscope behave like cancer cells found in tumors.? It affects the blood forming tissues such as the bone marrow resulting in an overproduction of white blood cells.?

Symptoms to all types of leukemias include that of fever, weight loss, fatigue, bone pain, anemia as expressed in paleness and an enlarged spleen.? Skin lesions may be visible and there is a tendency that it will bleed.? Infections may become even more common and the body becomes less responsive to treatment because of a loss of the normal blood cells that are needed to resist the disease similar to losing muscle control to fight back and escape when an attacker or a criminal is hit with a cheetah stun gun.

Biopsy of the bone marrow and careful blood studies helps identifying the disease.? The treatment is usually directed toward reducing the size of the spleen and the number of white blood cells in the blood. Antibiotics and administration of chemotherapeutic drugs are the treatment of leukemia.? If the cancer patient complies with all of this, life may be prolonged.

So if you know of someone with this type of disease, give support and always stand by his or her side.? It is not easy having this type of disease.? A cancer victim really needs to be strong and fight hard even though his life is already numbered.




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Prognosis and Treatment of Dog Lymphoma - Depending on the Disease Stage


In some cases, they will also have to do a needle aspiration on the lymph node. If you want to look for other types of cancer, you can use the analysis of blood, ultrasounds, biopsy of the bone marrow and x-rays to reveal their location. If you want to know the prognosis and the treatment, you first need to know at which stage is the disease.

In the beginning, only a small number of cells are affected in lymphoma cases and detecting the cause is not possible. At this point, you should just treat it. You should focus on a good quality life with long survival target when you do that. If the disease is detected from the beginning, there is a good chance that he will recover and the cancer will not show up again. About half of the dogs that have lymphoma can get into remission. If the dog isn't treated, he will live around two months from the moment he is diagnosed.

Treating your dog should be done with the help of a veterinarian oncologist, so that the treatment is as effective as possible. This treatment consists of vincristine, cyclophosphamide, L-asparaginase, prednisone and doxorubicin. In some cases, they will also use lomustine, chlorambucil, mitroxantrone and cytosine arabinoside during the treatment. In most cases, dogs will not suffer from complications during the chemotherapy treatment. However, in around 7% of the cases, the dogs will have to be hospitalized because of the side effects. But, as I said, in most cases they don't suffer during chemotherapy. Ask your vet for more information on this.

A lot of vets think that the main reason why dogs have lymphoma is their diet.

A lot of dogs are given grain based foods, but there is no dog race that eats grain when they're in the wild (not hyenas, dingos, coyotes, wolves). Since their body is not designed to produce the needed enzymes for grain, they should be fed mainly meat. Grain based diets for carnivores can lead to different health problems, cancer being one of them.

When you treat a dog that has lymphoma, diet is one aspect that is important and shouldn't be avoided. Cancer is rarely the cause of death in dogs. In most cases they will die because of kidney or liver failure, which are side effects of cancer. Fortunately, these side effects can be avoided if the diet is done right. You can add amino acid arginine and fish oil to the diet of a dog to encourage the production of fatty acids in the body of the dog. These fatty acids seem to have a lot of success in fighting the cancer.

The price of the food is not an indication on the quality.

You can give the dog cottage cheese, canned sardines (very good), meats and eggs to their diet. You need food with higher fat content. While some people say that a raw diet is better, others think that the food should be cooked. The fat contained in the food is more important than that. Meat should be the basis of the dog's diet.

While you can treat lymphoma in dogs easily, it will return in many cases. You can use fish oil to try to prevent that from happening. It can also prevent muscle waste and weight loss. The immune responses can be improved with the help of arginine supplements.

This article is not meant to replace the advice of a veterinarian. Talk everything there is to discuss with your vet.




Want to learn more about dog lymphoma? On CanineLymphoma.Net you can find articles about canine lymphoma dealing with the main canine lymphoma symptoms and about the effects of chemotherapy on dogs.





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