Hi,
Thanks for using the XXXXXXX I am happy to address your questions and have reviewed the reports, just to brief you that the lymphatic system is a network of thin tubular vessels that branches out to almost all parts of the body. Scattered in between these vessels are lymph nodes. The job of the lymphatic system is to fight infection and disease. Cancer involving the lymphatic system is called lymphoma. Non-Hodgkins lymphoma (or NHL) refers to a variety of cancers involving the lymph system. NHL can begin in any part of the body, not just the lymph nodes. The immune system problems as well as age may increase a person's chance of developing this disease. The signs and symptoms of lymphoma are general and may also be associated with other, noncancerous conditions. Talk to your clinician about any of these problems like swollen lymph nodes in neck, underarm or groin, unexplained fevers, weight loss, fatigue, skin rash, unexplained pain in the chest, abdomen, pelvis or bones, night sweats. Treatment options depend on the stage of the lymphoma and her overall health. Treatment may include radiation therapy (external beam) or chemotherapy, either alone or in combination or immunotherapy (biologic therapy) works with immune system to fight cancer. Biologic therapy is like chemotherapy. The difference is that chemotherapy attacks the cancer directly and biologic therapy helps your immune system better fight the disease (with Monoclonal antibodies). Survival rates vary widely by cell type and stage of disease. More than 75 percent of patients with NHL live longer than a year after diagnosis; nearly 60 percent of patients live longer than five years. Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further questions I will be happy to help. Thanks

---

Hi XXXXXXX
Thanks for using the XXXXXXX I am happy to address your questions, the treatment and prognosis (outlook) depend on both the exact type and the stage of the lymphoma. A staging system is a way to summarize the extent of a cancer's spread. The staging system is to describe the extent in adults and is called the XXXXXXX Arbor staging system. Stage I when the lymphoma is in only 1 lymph node area or lymphoid organ; Stage II when in 2 or more groups of lymph nodes on the same side of (above or below) the diaphragm (the thin band of muscle that separates the chest and abdomen). For example, this might include nodes in the underarm and neck area but not the combination of underarm and groin nodes (II); Stage III when the lymphoma is found in lymph node areas on both sides of (above and below) the diaphragm; Stage IV when the lymphoma has spread outside of the lymph system into an organ that is not right next to an involved node, like spread to bone marrow, liver, brain or spinal cord, or the pleura (thin lining of the lungs).
Each stage may also be assigned an A or B. The letter B is added if a person has any of the B symptoms like loss of more than 10% of body weight over the previous 6 months (without dieting), unexplained fever of at least 101.5°F, drenching night sweats. These symptoms usually mean the disease is more advanced. If a person has any of these, then more intensive treatment is usually recommended. If no B symptoms are present, the letter A is added to the stage. Stage I and II often require radiation therapy. For an aggressive type of lymphoma, a combination of chemotherapy and biological therapy is usually indicated, and sometimes radiation therapy will be added. Chemotherapy is a drug treatment either as an injection or oral form that kills cancer cells. This treatment can involve one medication or multiple medications and be given alone or in conjunction with other therapies. This therapy is given in cycles. The repetition of these cycles and the number of cycles will be determined by your oncologist based on the staging of your cancer and the medications used. Chemotherapy also harms normal cells that divide rapidly. This can lead to hair loss, GI symptoms, and difficulty with your immune system. Radiation therapy wherein high doses of radiation are used to kill cancer cells and it shrink tumors. Side effects usually depend on the type and dosage of the therapy as well as the area undergoing radiation therapy. Biological drugs are medications that enhance your immune system's ability to fight cancers. In NHL, monoclonal antibodies are also used for treatment. The therapy is administered via an IV, and the monoclonal antibodies bind to the cancer cells and augment the immune system's ability to destroy cancer cells. Rituximab is such a drug used in the treatment of B cell lymphoma. Side effects for this treatment are usually flu- like symptoms. Radio immunotherapy medications are made of monoclonal antibodies that transport radioactive materials directly to cancer cells. Because the radioactive material is traveling and binding directly to the cancer cell, more radiation is delivered to the cancer cell and less to the normal tissue. Ibritumomab and tositumomab are two drugs approved for this use in lymphomas. Side effects usually include getting very tired or experiencing flu-like symptoms. If you do not have any clarifications, you can close the discussion and rate the answer. Wish your mother good health.

---