The disease is lymphoma. It’s cancer of the lymphatic (immune) system. Initially called Hodgkin’s Disease, named after the English physician Thomas Hodgkin who first described the condition in 1832. It starts when some blood cells grow out of control. If a specific type of abnormal cell called a Reed-Sternberg cell is detected, the lymphoma is classified as Hodgkin’s.
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is more common. There were 74,200 new cases in 2019. 2015 figures estimate over 4.3 million people were affected in the U.S. The five year survival rate is 71%. The typical patients are white men between ages of 65 to 74.
Usually the lymph nodes in the neck swell and the cancer can spread to other organs. My first CAT scan ruled out cancer of the brain, tongue and neck. Last week’s PET scan will let us know where else it might be.
There are 60 different types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma! I have “aggressive B cell type” revealed by the biopsy. Each type responds to different therapies. There are over 60 different chemicals that are used singly or in combination to destroy the cancer cells or at least stop them from growing. There is also immunotherapy and radiation.
More information? https://www.cancer.org/cancer/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/about/what-is-non-hodgkin-lymphoma.html
Lumpy Bob 