A 28 year old woman in Zhejiang has been diagnosed with advanced cancer! Very easy to overlook in ordinary times! Be vigilant in these two situations

"Lymphoma is a 'disguiser' in the field of tumors, which can occur in any part of the body. There are many clinical manifestations and it is easy to be misdiagnosed as other diseases." Sheng Lixia, Chief Physician of the Hematology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, introduced that lymphoma is hidden and cunning, and timely identification and diagnosis and treatment are very important.

Lymphoma is the most common type of blood cancer in the world. Recently, the reporter heard experts and patients from the hospital tell stories of their confrontation with this "disguiser".

After giving birth, suddenly start snoring

After enduring for 4 months, it turned out to be lymphoma

"I used to never snore before. I started snoring after giving birth last year. At first, I thought it was because taking care of the child was too tiring, and I heard that people tend to snore when they are tired." On the day of the interview, Ms. Zhu, 28, from Ningbo, came to the Hematology Department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University for a follow-up visit, sharing her experience of illness with reporters with lingering fear.

After snoring like this for over three months, Ms. Zhu began to feel that her nose was not smooth when breathing during the day, thinking it was an episode of allergic rhinitis. Due to not taking it seriously and being busy with taking care of the children, she still didn't go to the hospital.

After a while, when Ms. Zhu looked in the mirror, she suddenly noticed that her right nose and face were noticeably swollen, so she hurriedly went to the facial features department.

After nasal endoscopy examination, the doctor found a lump in Ms. Zhu's right nostril. After biopsy and comprehensive examination in the later stage, Ms. Zhu was diagnosed with NK/T-cell lymphoma and has reached the advanced stage.

"Like a bolt from the blue, I never expected that snoring while sleeping was due to lymphoma in the nose, which caused difficulty breathing. From snoring after giving birth to seeking medical attention at the facial features department, I was delayed for more than four months." Ms. Zhu still feels uneasy to this day.

Sheng Lixia, Chief Physician of the Hematology Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Ningbo University, introduced that nasal type NK/T-cell lymphoma is a rare and special type of non Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is more common in middle-aged and young people. The most common clinical symptoms of cases originating from the nasal cavity are nasal congestion, runny nose, and nosebleeds, which can easily be mistaken for delayed diagnosis and treatment of rhinitis; In the late stage, symptoms such as hard palate perforation, eyeball protrusion, facial swelling, and cranial nerve paralysis may occur, which can easily lead to hemophagocytic syndrome, resulting in fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and decreased whole blood cells.

"The characteristic of this type of lymphoma is its high invasiveness, commonly known as' growing very quickly '. The treatment effects in the early and late stages vary greatly." Sheng Lixia introduced that in the early stage of NK/T cell lymphoma, using chemotherapy containing asparaginase combined with radiotherapy can achieve a long-term cure rate of 70% -80%. In the late stage, the prognosis is much worse. Fortunately, this young mother also achieved good therapeutic effects after receiving a combination of chemotherapy containing asparaginase and autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. I have now returned to work and need regular check ups.

Eczema has been recurring for two years

Surprisingly, it is late stage lymphoma

"I never dreamed that eczema had improved and grown, and it turned out to be in the late stage of lymphoma," said Aunt Wang, 62, dejectedly.

Two years ago, Aunt Wang was deeply troubled by eczema. The face, arms, back, and thighs often have rashes, which are red and itchy in patches. Aunt Wang thought that eczema was not a big problem, so she didn't need to go to the hospital and bought her own ointment to apply.

Unfortunately, after applying the ointment for a while, it seemed to be getting better soon, but it recurred and became even more severe... This went on and on for two years. She only went to the hospital for treatment in June this year. An experienced dermatologist suggested that she undergo a biopsy.

Finally, Aunt Wang was diagnosed with advanced lymphoma.

All these black substances under pet-ct are lymphoma

"I thought lymphoma would only cause swelling in the neck, but I didn't expect it to behave like a skin disease," said Aunt Wang, who is still receiving treatment. Because it is already in the late stage, the treatment is difficult and the effect is poor. It would be better to seek medical attention early.

Can grow in various parts

The affected population tends to be younger

Many people may not have heard of lymphoma.

Sheng Lixia introduced that in fact, lymphoma is the most common blood cancer in the world, which is a malignant tumor originating from lymphocytes in the lymphatic hematopoietic system. Due to factors such as lifestyle, environmental pollution, and diet, malignant lymphoma has gradually become one of the malignant tumors that seriously threaten the health of the people, and the affected population is becoming younger.

She explained that due to the fact that tumor cells can spread through lymph and blood, lymphoma can occur in any part of the lymphatic tissue of the body, and its manifestations are often complex and diverse.

Those that grow in the nasopharynx may exhibit nasal congestion, snoring, and facial swelling;

The possible manifestations of being present in the gastrointestinal tract include abdominal pain and black stools;

Those that grow in the brain may manifest as headaches, hemiplegia, or coma;

Those that grow on the skin may be stubborn rashes or skin lumps

……

Some patients may experience systemic symptoms such as fever, night sweating, and weight loss, while others may not have any symptoms. During a physical examination, a film or ultrasound scan may reveal a lump, which further reveals early lymphoma.

She pointed out that getting lymphoma is not scary, the most important thing is to detect it early and adhere to standardized foot treatment.

Be wary of painless lymph node enlargement

These situations also need to be investigated by the hematology department

How can lymphoma be identified in a timely manner?

Sheng Lixia reminds citizens to pay more attention to the condition of lymph nodes in their daily lives. Under normal circumstances, lymph nodes are very small, with a diameter of only a few millimeters, and cannot be touched or seen on the surface of the body. Most lymph node enlargement is caused by infection or inflammation, which often has inflammatory characteristics such as redness, swelling, heat, and pain. For example, toothache can sometimes cause swollen lymph nodes in the chin or neck to the size of soybeans, which can be felt by hand.

There are two types of lymph node enlargement that should be taken seriously:

The first type, painless lymphadenopathy, is the most alarming. "We often say that enlarged lymph nodes are not scary, but if you are afraid, you are not afraid of pain. If lymph nodes are painless, have a hard texture, and there is no other clear reason to explain it, you need to be vigilant about the possibility of lymphoma or other malignant tumors."

The second type, progressive enlarged lymph nodes, also require great vigilance. When lymph nodes grow larger and feel harder to the touch, or are accompanied by symptoms such as fever, night sweats, and weight loss, one should be even more careful. The possibility of malignant diseases such as lymphoma is very high. If there is progressive enlargement of lymph nodes accompanied by ulcers, necrosis, bleeding, etc., it must also be taken seriously.

Sheng Lixia also reminds that about 20% of lymphoma will have systemic symptoms such as fever, night sweating, and weight loss. Therefore, for cases of unexplained fever exceeding 38 degrees Celsius for more than a week, unexplained weight loss of more than 10% within six months, and night sweating during sleep, it is also necessary to go to a hematology clinic to rule it out.