Hodgkin Disease and Treatment
By: Mark MonteiroTotal Views: 126, Word Count: 543,
There are several names for Hodgkin’s disease which includes Hodgkin disease, Hodgkin’s disease, Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, etc. This type of cancer originates in the lymph system which is made up of lymph nodes, lymph fluid and lymph vessels along with thymus, spleen, bone marrow and tonsils. Both children and adults are affected by this disease. There are several considerations which need to be taken for Hodgkin disease and treatment.
Considerations for Treatment
The decision for treatment is based on several factors including the age of the patient, his/her medical history, overall health and staging of the disease. Staging, which means to know the degree of the disease in the lymph system, could be decided through symptom descriptions, x-rays and laboratory test. This disease is curable if it’s in an early stage.
Hodgkin Disease and Treatment
Standard treatment for this disease is radiation, chemotherapy or a combination of both. Chemotherapy comprises of any numerous anti cancer drugs which could be used in changing combinations including vincristine, mechlorethamine, procarbazine, prednisone, chlorambucil, doxorubicin, vinblastine, etoposide, bleomycin and others. Radiation, on the other hand releases beams of high energy particles, x-rays or gamma rays in a straight line on the cancer cells.
Treatment for this disease might at times include high dose chemotherapy, peripheral blood stem cell transplants or bone marrow transplants. These methods are generally used for diseases which are not responsive to standard treatments or which return soon after the primary treatment.
Stem cell transplants and bone marrow require the patient to stay in separation while unhealthy cells being killed off by high dose chemotherapy and healthy cells acquired from oneself or a donor’s bone marrow or blood are reinstated into the body to substitute them.
People with Hodgkin’s disease might be entitled to partake in a clinical trial held at a research hospital which tests new treatment methods.
Treatment Risks
As with majority of standard chemotherapies, there are common unlikable side effects such as vomiting and nausea, constipation and diarrhea, loss of hair, mouth sores and weight loss or gain which could be generally controlled with other drugs. High dose chemotherapy drugs could cause more serious side effects and enduring changes in some organs like the kidneys and liver.
Stem cell transplants and bone marrow bring a high risk of infection due to the provisional suppression of the patient’s immune system as well as permanent damage to the heart and other organs. People who undergo radiation treatment are at increased risk for the growth of other cancers.
Dangers of Eccentric Treatments
Hodgkin disease and treatment include complimentary as well as alternative therapy. Complementary therapy is used next to conservative treatment in the belief that it would lessen the side effects of the treatments, ease the uneasiness of the illness or improve the morale of the patient. It might also include relaxation techniques, meditation, massage therapy or acupuncture.
Alternative therapy carries risks as it’s used instead of traditional treatment. A suggested supplement or vitamin couldn’t only fail to help the patient, but could also cause harm to the body. Alternative treatments are difficult or impossible to test for effectiveness. Also, the time spent to pursue an ineffective alternative treatment allows the cancer to progress further.
About the Author
Dr. Mark Monteiro is graduated from the Hazard University and done his MBA from the he University Of Illinois College Of Medicine. Currently he is working as general physician at Elmhurst Loyola Center for Health. For over 15 years he has been a pioneer in the field of physician health. He has contributed to the treatment of many diseases like- ASTHMA, TUBERCULOSIS, HIV, HEPATITIS AND ITS TREATMENT
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