Coping With Sneaky Lymphoma Symptoms
- A woman who experienced vomiting, coughing up blood, and a rash on her face after drinking one to two drinks was suffering from symptoms associated with lymphoma, a type of blood cancer.
- A leading expert tells SurvivorNet the difference between Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more common, and Hodgkin lymphoma is easier to cure.
- Lymphoma symptoms may include swelling in the neck and abdomen and unexplained weight loss or fever.
- Lymphoma treatment largely depends on the nature of your specific diagnosis. Immunotherapy treatment is an option that uses the body’s immune system to fight off the cancer and is helpful for some lymphomas. Meanwhile, slow-growing lymphomas that are less aggressive may only need to be monitored without immediate treatment.
Treatment for non-Hodgkin often includes chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy. - SurvivorNet experts say using a chemotherapy combination called R-CHOP is an effective treatment for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It stands for Rituximab (Rituxan), a monoclonal antibody, Cyclophosphamide (a type of chemotherapy drug), Doxorubicin hydrochloride (hydroxydaunomycin – a kind of chemotherapy drug), Vincristine sulfate (Oncovin – a sort of chemotherapy drug), Prednisone (a steroid).
Hangovers are an unfortunate part of drinking, but for Poppy Beguely, 20, the morning after a night out was on another level. She would cough up blood and would develop a rash on her face that worsened over time. Her symptoms were triggered by alcohol consumption, and the root cause – Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which is a type of blood cancer- startled the young florist and swimming instructor.
“It was very bittersweet – I had spent so long worrying about what was wrong with me and having this dread that something might have been seriously wrong, and no one was going to find out what it was,” Beguely told U.K.-based news outlet The Sun.
Beguely was concerned about her diagnosis but knew what she needed to do to try and beat it.
“Part of me was happy that I didn’t have to worry about what exactly was wrong anymore…But then the other part of me was obviously quite upset that I was going to have to go through chemotherapy and lose my hair, eyelashes and eyebrows,” she said.
RELATED: Coping with chemotherapy side effects.
After undergoing four months of tough chemotherapy, Beguely reached remission.
“I think the worst part of having cancer and coming out the other end of it is realizing that while your life got put on hold, the world and everyone around you keeps going…Ultimately, it has given me a different outlook on life,” she explained.
Helping You Better Understand Lymphomas
Understanding and Treating Lymphomas
Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common than Hodgkin lymphoma, and it typically starts later in life.
WATCH: What kind of lymphoma do you have?
“I always advise that people understand their specific type of lymphoma because there are over 40 different types,” Dr. Elise Chong, medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells SurvivorNet.
According to the National Cancer Institute, common symptoms of Hodgkin’s lymphoma include:
- Painless or swollen lymph nodes in the neck, underarm, or groin
- Night sweats
- Unexplained weight loss
- Itchy skin after consuming alcohol
Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Hodgkin lymphoma has distinctive, giant cells called Reed-Sternberg cells. The presence of these cells helps your doctor determine which of the two lymphoma types you have. Other differences between Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma include how common non-Hodgkin lymphoma is comparatively. Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is more prevalent in people older than 55. People usually develop Hodgkin lymphoma at a younger age.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to spread randomly and can be found in different groups of lymph nodes in the body. In contrast, Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to grow uniformly from one group of lymph nodes directly to another.
Treating non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
“There are some lymphomas that are very treatable but not curable,” Dr. Lawrence Piro told SurvivorNet.
Dr. Lawrence Piro is the President and CEO of The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute in Los Angeles, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate. He adds that some lymphomas progress quickly if left untreated.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment depends on the type of lymphoma, the stage, and how fast it grows. People with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma can expect to get a chemotherapy combination called R-CHOP, which is a drug cocktail consisting of chemotherapy drugs plus an antibody-drug and a steroid to treat diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
R-CHOP stands for:
- R: Rituximab (Rituxan) is a monoclonal antibody that attaches to a specific protein called CD20, which sits on the surface of
- B cells. It targets cancerous cells and destroys them.
- C: Cyclophosphamide is a type of chemotherapy drug
- D: Doxorubicin hydrochloride (hydroxydaunomycin) is a type of chemotherapy drug
- V: Vincristine sulfate (Oncovin) is a type of chemotherapy drug
- P: Prednisone is a steroid which lowers inflammation
Patients receiving R-CHOP receive the drug in six cycles that are three weeks apart.
“R-CHOP is a cocktail of drugs. There are five different drugs in that recipe,” Dr. Jennifer Crombie, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, tells SurvivorNet.
WATCH: Understanding R-CHOP treatment.
R-CHOP side effects can include:
- Tiredness and weakness
- Hair loss
- Mouth sores
- Bruising and bleeding
- Increased risk of infection
- Appetite loss and weight loss
- Changes in bowel movements
Immunotherapy and targeted therapy are also treatment options for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients.
Rituximab (Rituxan) was the first immunotherapy drug approved to treat some forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. “Rituximab is the immunotherapy that has been approved the longest, and we have the most experience with lymphoma,” Dr. Chong tells SurvivorNet.
Rituxan has side effects, including fever, chills, swelling under the skin, itching, and mild shortness of breath.
Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) is a relatively new targeted treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma. This drug is an antibody-drug conjugate that combines an antibody (a type of protein that recognizes foreign substances in the body) with a medication that treats cancer. It uses a special protein to deliver medicine directly into the cancer cell.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can also be treated with radiation, which aims beams of intense energy at the cancer to stop cancer cells from growing and dividing.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you are facing a lymphoma diagnosis, here are some questions you can ask your doctor to begin your journey to a successful outcome.
- What type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma do I have?
- What stage of my lymphoma is in, and if it has spread, how far?
- Do we need to treat the lymphoma immediately?
- What treatment do you recommend to help me beat this diagnosis?
- Should I get more opinions about the treatment options available?
- What are some possible side effects I should expect during treatment?
- Will insurance cover the recommended treatment?
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