When the " guards" become "enemies"
In the body, the lymphatic system is an important defense line, working persistently to protect people from bacteria, viruses and pathogens. However, sometimes it is the warriors in this system who develop abnormally, increase uncontrolled birth, form a malignant tumor called lympho tumor. This is a type of blood cancer, caused by silent start, and can be easily overlooked if warning signs are not recognized early.
Doctor Kieu Thi Van Oanh - Center for Hematology and Blood Transfusion, Bach Mai Hospital said that the journey to fight any disease begins with correct understanding.
lymphoma is not an individual disease but includes many types of lymphatic cancer. The first group is lympho Hodgkin's tumor, which is characterized by the appearance of Reed-Sternberg cells. This type often progresses slowly, treatment is good, and the prognosis is good if detected early.
More commonly, non- Hodgkin lymphoma ( Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma - NHL), is very diverse with more than 60 sub-groups. They can grow slowly or flare up rapidly, showing complex and unpredictable symptoms. Dr. Oanh emphasized: The accurate classification of lympho Tules is extremely important, helping to orient appropriate treatment strategies and determine treatment effectiveness.
Listen to your body's signals
The scariest point of lymphoma is that the initial symptoms are often vague, easily confused with common diseases, causing patients to be subjective. The most common signs are painless, large, swollen duodenum, often found in the neck, armpits, groin; the duodenum is firm, painless when touched and tends to grow larger.
In addition, doctors should pay special attention to the three common warning symptoms, called "symptoms B": prolonged fever of unknown cause, night sweats that make clothes, blankets wet and unknown weight loss (a loss of over 10% of weight in 6 months).
Some other manifestations such as persistent fatigue, body itching, cough, shortness of breath (if the duct presses the airway), abdominal pain, bloating (if the duct is large in the abdomen, large spleen) should not be ignored.
Many patients come to us when the disease is late: the duodenum appears in many places, encroaching on other organs. The reason is that the duodenum does not cause pain or discomfort. Therefore, do not be subjective to any unusual tumor or kidney that has lasted for a long time, with symptoms all over the body. Early examination can completely change the prognosis" - Dr. Oanh recommended.
When lymphoid tumors are diagnosed through testing, especially pathology, the real battle begins. Modern medicine has opened a new era with many effective and highly personalized treatment methods.
Chemotherapy combined with monounsaturated antibodies is still the main foundation. In addition, new-generation drugs and combined formulas help kill cancer cells more optimally, reducing side effects.
A major breakthrough is targeted therapy - "smart bullet" that only destroys cancer cells, limiting the impact on healthy cells. Recently, immunotherapy is opening up great hope, " awakening" the immune system to find and kill malicious cells. Therapies such as immun control inhibitors, CAR-T and stem cell transplantation have been giving many complex and anti-terapeutic patients a chance to survive.
The current treatment of lympho Tules is very different from before - Dr. Kieu Thi Van Oanh shared. Each patient is a separate problem, needing a separate solution, depending on the type of lymphoma, stage of the disease and health status. The battle can be long and difficult, but patients are not alone. They have doctors, families and medical advances to accompany them.
