follicular? Is this the only long lasting cancer?

brian871 · New User Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 5

I'm wondering what the the types of lymphoma which can linger for years relatively unoticed? Is follicular the only one? Can someone have a cancerous node for say 8-10 year without and other major synthoms?

Orange Agent

I feel that's what happened to me (and is still happening). Looking back I can see that many of the symptoms were there several years befor I ever got scared enough to see a doctor.

I have been lead to believe, that small cell folicular is (at least in my case) incurable. I also, according to my doctor, do not neatly fit into any special type of stage.

Remember however, that I am just a patient and do NOT know what I'm talking about.
_________________
Burt

brian871 · New User Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 5

I heard that this type of cancer almost exclusively occurs in Over 40 people. Is this true?

Orange Agent

Don't know. I'm only 72

I think lymphoma (and cancer in general) probably hits older people more than younger people.

I never remember any young people being in chemo during my treatments. Even those with breast cancer appeared to be 40+/-
Most seemed to be in their 60's+
_________________
Burt

brian871 · New User Joined: 07 Jan 2006 Posts: 5

Thank you Burt, Good Luck with everything, and God Bless Smile

Debbiefix · Regular Joined: 01 Jun 2006 Posts: 15 Location: CT

I'm 54. I have CLL (chronic lymphocytic leukemia) which is also a slow growing one. I've had it a very long time, but was diagnosed a year ago. Only symptom I've ever had was enlarged lymph nodes. My blood work is fine, I've never been tired or had night sweats or flulike symptoms

studybug · Regular Joined: 17 Jun 2006 Posts: 17

That was a good question. My Dr. feels sure that the lymph node is fine, but because it is hard painless fixed it falls in the grey area so he biopsied it. The CT showed now necrosis. In your experience as a patients does that sound similiar or very different from your situation? My blood work only showed slightly low WBC and slighty high bilirubin( same thing in two different CBCs) Also, they saw a smaller .5 cm node on the other side of my neck in the same location as the one I went in for. I believe that is new. The only symptoms I have been having are being tired alot and sometimes I get very achy and cold and I have joint pain in 2 fingers. I thought maybe I had rheumatoid, (blood work says no) It is the rheumatologist who found the node and sent me to the ENT. Shocked

wow I wrote alot!!!!!!!
sorry did not mean to hijack the thread!!!!
Debbie

tiffane1 · New User Joined: 19 Nov 2006 Posts: 1

brian871 .........

I don't know how many years it can linger, all cases are different. But it
depends on if the Lymphoma is indolent or agressive. Follicular can be either one of those although more cases of Follicular Lyphoma are indolent than they are agressive .
Indolent is a slow growing lymphoma and can actually go untreated for quite some time but is not considered not able to cure. Aggressive obviously is not slow growing and must be treated right away. So that's the question you need to ask your doctor is your lymphoma indolent or agressive. The word "Follicular" is used to describe the pattern that the doctors see under the microscope.
Below is some additional information, hope this helps!

What is follicular lymphoma?
Follicular lymphoma is typically a slow-growing, or indolent, form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. This cancer, which accounts for roughly 20 to 30 percent of all non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, usually takes several years to develop. It usually appears in a lumpy, or nodular pattern, within lymph nodes throughout the body. Often, the first sign of follicular lymphoma is a painless swelling in the neck, armpit, or groin caused by enlarged lymph nodes. Some people also report loss of appetite and fatigue.

How is follicular lymphoma diagnosed?
Doctors usually diagnose follicular lymphoma by taking a small sample of the tumor, called a biopsy, and looking at the cells under a microscope. In addition, follicular lymphoma cells often carry abundant amounts of a protein called bcl-2, which protects cells from dying. Additional tests, such as blood tests, x-rays, and scans may be used to help determine how far the cancer has spread, indicating its “stage.” In Stage I, lymphoma appears only in one group of lymph nodes in a particular body region, while in patients with Stage II, disease in more than one lymph node group is involved. Patients with Stage II disease have disease limited to one side of the diaphragm. In contrast, patients with Stage III or IV disease have lymphoma on both sides of the diaphragm (midline of chest and abdomen) or involving other organ systems including the bone marrow. Most patients with follicular lymphoma are diagnosed with Stage III or IV disease.
What treatments are available?
Treatment of lymphoma is based on the severity of associated symptoms and the rate of growth. Since follicular lymphoma grows very slowly, doctors may decide not to treat it right away, an approach often referred to as “watch and wait”. Many studies have shown that patients treated earlier in their disease course, compared to those followed with a “watch and wait” approach, exhibit similar overall survival.

Radiation treatment is often used to treat early-stage (I and II) follicular lymphoma. High-energy x-rays targeted at specific groups of involved lymph nodes can provide cure in some patients with limited disease. In addition to radiation, doctors may use chemotherapy to control this disease. Unlike many cancers, the follicular lymphomas tend to be very sensitive to both radiation and chemotherapy. There are many drugs or combinations of drugs that can be used to manage this disease, including those listed in Table 1.

Table 1. Treatments used in follicular lymphoma
• cyclophosphamide, vincristine, prednisone (CVP)
• cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone (CHOP)
• fludarabine (+/- mitoxantrone, +/- cyclophosphamide)
• 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (2-CdA)
• Chlorambucil (+/- prednisone)
• Rituxan®
• Bexxar®
• Zevalin®

While there are many treatments available, the data to date have not shown that any one treatment is better than any other. For this reason, patients should consider participating in a clinical trial as part of their therapy whenever possible. Many of the improvements in managing these diseases have been made using investigational therapies aiming to improve on the conventional treatments. Some of the investigational therapies presently being tested include Velcade® (a new “protease inhibitor” drug), MyVax®, BiovaxID, and FavId™ (therapeutic lymphoma vaccines), as well as new monoclonal antibodies (Campath, anti-CD80). For patients with relapsed follicular lymphoma, high dose chemotherapy and an autologous stem cell transplant or an allogeneic (or “mini-allogeneic) transplant may be an option that provides a prolonged disease-free interval in some patients.

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