Apparently, Lymphoma is very common. It is a cancer in the lymphatic cells of the immune system. But Lymphoma that occurs primarily at the spinal cord or bone is rare. It is only 1% of the case. With appropriate treatment the 5 year survival can be as high as 30-40%. However, the disease tends to recur and be associated with a very poor prognosis. Independent prognostic factors are age and neurological performance status.
Mine did not spread to the bone marrow and it is very contained at the spinal cord. But I don't know what is the risk of spreading. Thats why have to combine with a healthy diet or anti-cancer diet to prevent this cancer cells from spreading.
According to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/info/cancer-oncology/
What is Cancer? What Causes Cancer?
Cancer is a class of diseases characterized by out-of-control cell growth. There are over 100 different types of cancer, and each is classified by the type of cell that is initially affected.
Cancer harms the body when damaged cells divide uncontrollably to form lumps or masses of tissue called tumors (except in the case of leukemia where cancer prohibits normal blood function by abnormal cell division in the blood stream). Tumors can grow and interfere with the digestive, nervous, and circulatory systems, and they can release hormones that alter body function. Tumors that stay in one spot and demonstrate limited growth are generally considered to be benign.
- a cancerous cell manages to move throughout the body using the blood or lymph systems, destroying healthy tissue in a process called invasion
- that cell manages to divide and grow, making new blood vessels to feed itself in a process called angiogenesis.
When a tumor successfully spreads to other parts of the body and grows, invading and destroying other healthy tissues, it is said to have metastasized. This process itself is called metastasis, and the result is a serious condition that is very difficult to treat.
In 2007, cancer claimed the lives of about 7.6 million people in the world. Physicians and researchers who specialize in the study, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of cancer are called oncologists.
What causes cancer?
Cancer is ultimately the result of cells that uncontrollably grow and do not die. Normal cells in the body follow an orderly path of growth, division, and death. Programmed cell death is called apoptosis, and when this process breaks down, cancer begins to form. Unlike regular cells, cancer cells do not experience programmatic death and instead continue to grow and divide. This leads to a mass of abnormal cells that grows out of control.
I was diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma.
So mine was Lymphoma of the Spinal Cord, extracted from this website:
What is Spinal Cord Cancer?
Cancers of the spinal cord may be of the Lymphoma type. The spinal cord forms part of the central nervous system. It is a cylindrical continuation of the brainstem, commencing from the medulla (at the level of the foramen magnum at the base of the skull) and extending to the conus medullaris at the level of the L2 vertebra. It is located within the vertebral canal - the bony tube formed by the vertebral foramina. Below the level of L2, the remaining contents of the spinal canal are known as the cauda equina, the bundle of nerve rootlets in the subarachnoid space. Within the vertebral canal run the spinal cord, the spinal meninges, the cerebrospinal fluid, associated vessels and loose connective and fatty tissue.Arising from the spinal cord are 31 pairs of spinal nerves that are the neural connections between the peripheries and the central nervous system. They attach to the spinal cord through ventral and dorsal roots and have both afferent and efferent properties. That is, the spinal cord acts as the main pathway for communication between the brain and the rest of the body.Tumours of the spinal cord can be either primary or metastatic. The vast majority of spinal cord tumours are metastatic deposits from other primary sites. Tumours of the spinal cord can be divided into three groups, based on the anatomical location of the tumour mass.Firstly, they are divided by their relationship to the spinal meninges, with tumours being classified as intradural or extradural. Furthermore, intradural tumours can be subdivided into those arising within the substance of the spinal cord itself - intramedullary tumours - or those arising in the subarachnoid space (extramedullary).Extradural tumours most commonly represent metastases and usually arise within the vertebral bodies. These tumours most commonly cause spinal compression through extrinsic mass effect but can on occasion do so through intradural invasion. Symptoms from these tumours tend to be the slowly progressing features of spinal cord compression with initial predominantly motor loss followed by progressive sphincter dysfunction and ascending sensory loss. Extradural tumours represent the vast majority of spinal cord tumours.Intradural extramedullary tumours tend to be nerve sheath tumours (neurofibromas) or meningiomas. They commonly present with nerve root involvement consisting of pain and progressive dysfunction due to spinal cord compression from the expanding tumour mass.Intramedullary tumours usually represent gliomas ependymomas or astrocytomas, but metastatic deposits within the spinal cord itself are being increasingly recognised. These tumours result in a diffuse swelling of the spinal cord, often over several segments, characterised by loss of local function, pain and eventual loss of spinal cord function below the level of the lesion. A cyst may form in the spinal medulla, giving rise to a clinical picture of syringomyelia (predominant loss of spinothalamic function pain and temperature sensation - and blunted reflexes at the level of the lesion). Sacral sparing is a very late feature of intramedullary tumours but is pathognomonic.The image shown above right is of an MRI scan that illustrates multiple vertabral metastases causing spinal cord compression.
Cancers of the spinal cord may be of the Lymphoma type. The spinal cord forms part of the central nervous system. It is a cylindrical continuation of the brainstem, commencing from the medulla (at the level of the foramen magnum at the base of the skull) and extending to the conus medullaris at the level of the L2 vertebra. It is located within the vertebral canal - the bony tube formed by the vertebral foramina. Below the level of L2, the remaining contents of the spinal canal are known as the cauda equina, the bundle of nerve rootlets in the subarachnoid space. Within the vertebral canal run the spinal cord, the spinal meninges, the cerebrospinal fluid, associated vessels and loose connective and fatty tissue.Arising from the spinal cord are 31 pairs of spinal nerves that are the neural connections between the peripheries and the central nervous system. They attach to the spinal cord through ventral and dorsal roots and have both afferent and efferent properties. That is, the spinal cord acts as the main pathway for communication between the brain and the rest of the body.Tumours of the spinal cord can be either primary or metastatic. The vast majority of spinal cord tumours are metastatic deposits from other primary sites. Tumours of the spinal cord can be divided into three groups, based on the anatomical location of the tumour mass.Firstly, they are divided by their relationship to the spinal meninges, with tumours being classified as intradural or extradural. Furthermore, intradural tumours can be subdivided into those arising within the substance of the spinal cord itself - intramedullary tumours - or those arising in the subarachnoid space (extramedullary).Extradural tumours most commonly represent metastases and usually arise within the vertebral bodies. These tumours most commonly cause spinal compression through extrinsic mass effect but can on occasion do so through intradural invasion. Symptoms from these tumours tend to be the slowly progressing features of spinal cord compression with initial predominantly motor loss followed by progressive sphincter dysfunction and ascending sensory loss. Extradural tumours represent the vast majority of spinal cord tumours.Intradural extramedullary tumours tend to be nerve sheath tumours (neurofibromas) or meningiomas. They commonly present with nerve root involvement consisting of pain and progressive dysfunction due to spinal cord compression from the expanding tumour mass.Intramedullary tumours usually represent gliomas ependymomas or astrocytomas, but metastatic deposits within the spinal cord itself are being increasingly recognised. These tumours result in a diffuse swelling of the spinal cord, often over several segments, characterised by loss of local function, pain and eventual loss of spinal cord function below the level of the lesion. A cyst may form in the spinal medulla, giving rise to a clinical picture of syringomyelia (predominant loss of spinothalamic function pain and temperature sensation - and blunted reflexes at the level of the lesion). Sacral sparing is a very late feature of intramedullary tumours but is pathognomonic.The image shown above right is of an MRI scan that illustrates multiple vertabral metastases causing spinal cord compression.
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