Understanding Lymphoma
- Actor and producer DJ Qualls, 47, was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma at 14 and beat it. He credits his strong mindset and treatment for surviving what was initially a “grim” prognosis.
- Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. And there are more than 40 different types of lymphoma. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma are the two most common types.
- When it comes to treating Hodgkin lymphoma, your doctor will tailor your treatment to the stage of your cancer, as well as other factors, such as how aggressive it is. Chemotherapy is generally part of the treatment at every stage. But in the early stages, radiation may be added, because stage I and II lymphomas tend to respond well to radiation.
- Treatment depends on the type of lymphoma you have and how advanced it is. Treatment options typically include chemotherapy, radiation, and a bone marrow transplant.
- Expressing gratitude for life’s moments can help those with cancer—or any serious illness—maintain a positive mindset. According to experts cited by SurvivorNet, patients who stay optimistic often experience better treatment outcomes.
Now 47, the Tennessee native, known for his starring roles in films “The New Guy” and “Hustle & Flow,” credits a combination of relentless medical treatment and unwavering mindset for his ability to beat the disease.
Read More“So, I think that translates into a lot of things. Like, aging is one of them.”
Looking back on his two years of “inactivity” around the time of the Covid-19 pandemic, he insisted that that time frame “crushed” him.
“I aged quick, I aged fast in those two years. And I think that’s a big part of aging.”
Qualls ultimately underwent surgery and two years of therapy to reach remission.
Looking back on his treatment, he said, “It was a time in my life when things were happening so quickly I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.
“I think that’s what saved me.”
RELATED: Stay Positive, It Matters
Recalling his battle on an FX panel years ago, Qualls shared how chemotherapy affected his growing body.
Qualls said, as per Deadline, “Chemotherapy kills all fast-growing cells. So my bones never widened, just lengthened.”
As for the impact of chemotherapy, he revealed that he lost 60 pounds and never regained it, explaining that the drugs “sped up his heart and his metabolism.”
What is Hodgkin Lymphoma?
RELATED: Related: 7 Sneaky Symptoms of Hodgkin Lymphoma
Lymphomas are a type of blood cancer that begin in lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. They are separated into two categories: Hodgkin Lymphoma and non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, with non-Hodgkin Lymphoma being the more common type.
Hodgkin Lymphoma usually starts in a part of the lymph system called B cells, which make proteins called antibodies that help protect the body from germs. With those cells compromised, it’s more difficult to protect your body from germs may may increase the risk of infections.
The disease predominantly is diagnosed in people between the ages of 20 to 40, and over 55. Symptoms include severe itching, swelling in lymph nodes in your neck, night sweats, fever, unexplained weight loss, daily fatigue, decreased tolerance to alcohol or experiencing pain in lymph nodes after consuming alcohol.
Despite being relatively rare, progress in research and treatment means there’s a good chance many patients will make a full recovery.
It’s also interesting to note that there are more than 40 different types of lymphoma.
“Lymphoma is split up into a number of different categories,” Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells SurvivorNet.
“The first distinguishing breakpoint, if you will, is non-Hodgkin lymphoma versus Hodgkin lymphoma,” she adds, “and those sound like two different categories. But non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises the majority of lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma is a single specific type of lymphoma.”
What Kind of Lymphoma Do You Have? Why Your Type Matters
Hodgkin lymphoma has giant cells called Reed-Sternberg cells. The presence of these cells, which can be seen under a microscope, will help your doctor determine which of the two lymphoma types you have.
Another difference between these two types of lymphoma is that non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to spread in a random fashion and be found in different groups of lymph nodes in the body, while Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to grow in a uniform way from one group of lymph nodes directly to another.
These two different types of lymphoma behave, spread and respond to treatment differently, so it’s important for you to know which type you have.
Expert Lymphoma Resources
- Age, Race, and Exposures Might All Factor Into Lymphoma Risk
- Could Your Lymphoma Come Back? What Happens When You Relapse
- 6 Symptoms of Lymphoma & How to Spot Them; Radio Host Dan Bongino Recently Said He May Have This Type of Cancer
- Did You Know Mr. T. Was Diagnosed with Lymphoma? Here’s His Inspiring Story
- Double-Hit and Triple-Hit Lymphomas May Need More Aggressive Treatment
- How Do You Know if Your Lymphoma Has Changed Into an Aggressive Form?
- Exciting New Options Are Available for Lymphoma Recurrence
Your doctor will tailor your treatment to the stage of your cancer, as well as other factors, such as how aggressive it is. Chemotherapy is generally part of the treatment at every stage. But in the early stages, radiation may be added, because stage I and II lymphomas tend to respond well to radiation.
Dr. Chong also told SurvivorNet, “The one thing that I always reassure people about when they are diagnosed with advanced stage lymphoma is that, unlike other cancers, where advanced stage is a death sentence, that’s certainly not the case for lymphoma.”
Spotting the Symptoms
The first lymphoma symptoms can be so subtle that you might not even notice them. It may not be until you visit your doctor for a check-up that you discover there could be a problem.
“People say, ‘But I feel completely fine,’ and that’s very normal,” Dr. Chong explains. If a lump is found, often “it’s only because either someone palpated a lymph node and felt some swelling in their neck or in their groin or under their arm.”
If you are at risk for this cancer because you had cancer or an organ transplant in the past, you have an autoimmune disease, or you have an infection such as HIV or Epstein-Barr, it may be worth watching out for symptoms like these:
- Swollen lymph nodes in your neck, armpits, or groin
- Weight loss
- Tiredness
- Fevers
- Swollen belly
But keep in mind that these are more likely to be symptoms of something far less serious, such as a run-of-the-mill infection.
WATCH: Dr. Jason Westin explains symptoms associated with lymphoma
There are also a group of symptoms doctors refer to as “B symptoms.” Those include a fever, night sweats, or weight loss.
“If people are having any of these symptoms, it’s really important that they tell their physician early so that the proper testing can be done,” Dr. Chong says.
Finding Lymphoma With Imaging Tests
Sometimes the first sign of lymphoma appears not as a symptom, but as a clue on an imaging test that’s done for another reason. “I have patients who’ve gotten into car accidents and said, ‘I had a scan of my body and they saw these lymph nodes,’ and that’s how initially the lymphoma was found,” says Dr. Chong.
If your symptoms appear first, your doctor might send you for an imaging test. An x-ray or computed tomography (CT) scan can identify the cause.
RELATED: Age, Race, and Exposures Might All Factor Into Lymphoma Risk
The only way to confirm whether you have lymphoma is with a biopsy. Your doctor will remove a piece of tissue from a lymph node, or the entire node. Then, a specially trained doctor called a pathologist examines the sample in a laboratory to see whether it contains lymphoma cells, and if so, which type of lymphoma they are.
A biopsy can either put your mind at ease by letting you know that you don’t have cancer, or give you a sense of direction by giving your doctor a launching-off point to plan your treatment. If you do have lymphoma, you can get at least some comfort from knowing that there are a number of good treatments to help manage it, even if you’re diagnosed at an advanced stage.
Staying Grateful Amid Battling Disease
We’re thrilled that DJ Qualls kept a hopeful mindset while facing cancer at a young age, and his unwavering belief in his recovery is truly inspiring.
After a diagnosis, it’s understandably extremely difficult to feel grateful for, well, maybe anything. However, studies prove that patients who are able to stay uplifted and positive often have better treatment outcomes. That’s why mindset and attitude can be extremely valuable tools.
RELATED: Patients Do Better When They are Less Stressed
“The patients who do well with cancer, they live life with gratitude in terms of everything,” Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon and Director of the Cedars-Sinai Colorectal Cancer Center, tells SurvivorNet.
“They’re grateful, not for cancer, but they’re grateful for an opportunity to know that life is finite. They live life with [saying] ‘I love you’ to their husband, to their wife, to their kids. They can appreciate it for one of the first times ever because they know it may not be forever that they get to do this. Those are the patients that tend to do well with processing and also living a long, long life despite a diagnosis.”
Dr. Zuri Murrell explains why patients who have gratitude can do well during treatment
Although studies show how important it is to find some positivity during a cancer battle, that’s much easier said than done.
In addition to tackling treatment, people often juggle an overwhelming number of emotions including anxiety, anger, fear, and sadness.
There can be a lot of pressure linked to a cancer diagnosis, and colon cancer survivor Kate Bowler knows this first-hand.
When Bowler was diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer, she started to resent how some people expected her to remain positive despite going through something traumatic.
She told SurvivorNet in an earlier interview that she refers to this as “bright-siding,” and she felt immense pressure while discussing her diagnosis with friends and family, especially since she was deeply rooted in a spiritual community.
RELATED: ‘The Eye of the Tiger’ Why Mindset and Lifestyle are So Important During Treatment
“I hate the bright siding, because I would never want someone who’s suffering to feel the burden of positivity,” Bowler told SurvivorNet. “People want me to reassure them that my cancer is all part of a plan. We want to live in a world in which nothing is lost. I think faith was a bit tricky for me.”
In the end, Bowler was able to find a community where she felt supported, and that helped her push through treatment without any more pressure.
Avoiding Provider Bias – Is Your Doctor Understanding You?
While your doctor has undergone years of training and practice, they are still human, and may come with their own set of biases that can impact how they treat patients.
To combat these biases and really get the most out of your interactions with your doctor, you should provide her or him with plenty of information about your life and ask plenty of questions when things aren’t clear. To better understand how you should approach conversations with your doctor, we previously spoke with Dr. Dana Chase, gynecologic oncologist at Arizona Oncology.
According to Dr. Chase, physicians, like many of us, can be a bit biased when seeing patients. She made it clear that these biases are rarely sinister, but rather unconscious and more subtle.
She explained, “We have certain beliefs that we don’t know about. We might look, for example, at an older woman, and just by the way she looks we might make certain assumptions, and we might not even know that we’re making these assumptions.”
Let’s Talk About Provider Bias
Clearing up misconceptions is important, but so is understanding what your doctor is telling you, Dr. Chase noted. Overall, she advises women to speak up and ask questions when they don’t understand something.
“It’s never a bad thing to ask for something to be repeated, or to ask the doctors to explain it in different terms.”
So next time you go to your physician, speak up if you need clarity, so your doctor can understand you and you can understand them.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you are dealing with a lymphoma diagnosis, it’s important to ask your doctor a series of questions so you will have an idea of what your next steps will look like. To help you during this difficult time, SurvivorNet has some questions to kickstart your conversation with your physician.
- What type of lymphoma do I have?
- What does my pathology report say about my diagnosis?
- Should I get a second opinion before I explore possible treatment options?
- Based on my diagnosis, what do you anticipate my treatment path?
- What common side effects should I expect when I begin treatment?
- Will I be able to continue working and performing normal daily activities during treatment?
- Where can I get help working with the insurance company regarding treatment costs?
- Who do you recommend I get mental health help from during my treatment?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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