The first step in treating lymphatic cancer is to confirm the diagnosis by getting a biopsy or physical exam. Lymph nodes on the chest are usually affected by lymphoma, but they can also be found in the liver, lungs, or stomach. Patients may experience similar symptoms to colds, but they may last longer than two weeks and may recur. The next step is to select a treatment plan. The doctors will use a lymphoma stage to help determine the extent of cancer spread. The stages of lymphoma are A, B, and S, which describe how widespread the disease has spread.
Treatment for lymphoma is based on the stage and severity of the disease. People with a slow-growing form of lymphoma may not need treatment. Instead, they will undergo a series of tests, including blood tests, scans, and a general health check-up. If the cancer is advanced or has spread to lymph nodes, the doctor may refer the patient to a hematologist for further testing. In addition, doctors will ask about symptoms, general health, and any illnesses the patient may have had.
A CT scan of the abdomen and a bone marrow biopsy determine the stage of the cancer. A PET scan, which shows changes in the metabolic activity of the lymph glands, may be used in conjunction with a biopsy for better staging. CT scans may show enlarged lymph glands, but a PET scan can be more accurate. Once the stage is determined, a treatment plan can be chosen. If treatment is necessary, lymphoma may be curable.
Certain types of lymphoma are more common in young adults than in older adults. Males are slightly more likely to develop the condition than females. People with weakened immune systems, such as HIV and Epstein-Barr virus, are more prone to developing the disease. People with immune system diseases and certain medications are at risk for lymphoma. Taking antiretroviral drugs, or having a compromised immune system, is another risk factor.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma are both cancers of immune system cells. There are more than 60 subtypes of lymphoma, each with its own natural history. Some are slow growing, and may not need treatment when diagnosed. Others are aggressive. The type of treatment that is right for you depends on the stage of the disease and the type of lymphoma.
To prove service-connection, there must be a link between the disability and the service injury. For this, a person must have evidence of a relevant disease in the military. In the case of the Veteran, no such evidence exists, even though he claims to have been exposed to Agent Orange while in Vietnam. If the Veteran had been diagnosed with lymphatic cancer while serving, his service treatment records would not have shown exposure to the herbicide.
