Beta 2 Microglobulin Serum Tips

Immune system in the body is also made by a system called the lymphatic system. This system fights with germ near tissue in the body and also it penetrates deep to defend the body. A certain type of cancer called hodgkin lymphoma affects the whole lymphatic system. ;

When hodgkin lymphoma happens to the body the lymphocytes also known as white blood cells increase in number so excessively like a cancer growth. This increase in number causes the lymph nodes to swell all over the body and there are many other growth all over the body due to it.

There are two types of lymphoma called hodgkin lymphoma and non-hodgkin lymphoma. Hodgkin lymphoma is known by another name called hodgkin's disease.

Medical advances in diagnosis and treatment and medicines have helped the people to recover fully from this hodgkin disease. Some who do not recover fully show promising progress.

Symptoms:

There are some signs and symptoms of hodgkin's lymphoma:



There is swelling of the lymph nodes found in the neck, armpits, groin. This swelling is painless.


The body will feel tired all the time.


There will be a fever.


There will be night sweats while sleeping.


There will be weight loss.


There will be itching in the body.


When you drink alcohol, pain starts in the lymph nodes.



When to see a doctor:

When you find any symptoms in the body as given below you must rush to the doctor for this is a very serious disease. The following symptoms are:



There is swelling of the lymph nodes found in the neck, armpits, groin. This swelling is painless.


The body will feel tired all the time.


There will be a fever.


There will be night sweats while sleeping.


There will be weight loss.


There will be itching in the body.


When you drink alcohol, pain starts in the lymph nodes.



Causes:

After much research, researchers and doctors do not know the cause of hodgkin lymphoma. There is only some information like lymphoma begins only when these defense cells, white blood cells develop any change in their dna. This dna tells them to increase their number and cause other problems. It feels like some infection or germs or virus have infected the white blood cell for their control.

The dna contains the instructions for all cells and each cell has their own dna. Infected dna tells the white blood cells to multiply and increase in number as well as to not to die like other normal cells do. As white blood cells are the part of the immune system, it has got a defense from other healthy defensive cells in the body. This defense protects the mutated white blood cells and helps them to grow in number. When there is a high number of cells they crowd at the storage of defense cells that are at lymph nodes and make them swell and behave in healthy ways.

There are many types of hodgkin lymphoma. Each type has its own characteristics because each cell with different mutations gives different behavior. These different types have characteristics that determine the type of treatment should be given.

The most common nowadays is the classical hodgkin's lymphoma. People who suffer from this on analyzing their nodes researchers find out that this type of lymphoma have very large white blood cells in their nodes called reed-sternberg cells. There are subtypes of this classical hodgkin's lymphoma. Their names are:



Nodular sclerosis- hodgkin's lymphoma


Mixed cellularity- hodgkin's lymphoma


Lymphocyte-depleted hodgkin's lymphoma


Lymphocyte-rich hodgkin's lymphoma



Nodular lymphocyte-predominant hodgkin's lymphoma is the rare type of hodgkin lymphoma. In this lymphoma white blood cells look like popcorn and white blood cells are called popcorn cells in this lymphoma due to their appearance. This is usually at an early stage for a long time and easily diagnosed. This also requires less intensive treatment. ;

Risk factors:

There are some factors which can trigger the occurrence of hodgkin lymphoma. Such factor are:



Your age: hodgkin's lymphoma always occurs to people who are aged 20 to 30 years or people at 60 years.


A family chart of lymphoma: if your family members had hodgkin's lymphoma, your coming generation may have this lymphoma at their 60 years. So we should check it at the early years of our child or relative.


Being male: females are protected against this lymphoma somehow but male are not because they are more likely to have lymphoma.


Past epstein-barr infection: epstein-barr virus causes people to have illnesses such as infectious mononucleosis. People who have suffered from this virus are more likely to have hodgkin lymphoma than people who do have epstein-barr virus infections. ;


Hiv infection: these patients have a failed immune system, which increases the risk of hodgkin's lymphoma.





Treatment:

People with hodgkin lymphoma are given chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or when needed bone marrow transplant. There are many drugs which are given to control the birth rate of lymphocytes.

Conclusion:

Hodgkin lymphoma is rare but people are there who suffer from this. Treatment can cause them to have full recovery. But people can avoid it by having many fruits which are able to prevent cancer. For more information please visit the doctor.

Non Hodgkin Lymphoma is when the cells in your lymphatic system become cancerous. The lymphatic system is responsible for fighting off diseases which may attack your body. Initially, tumors develop from the lymphocytes in your body. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common than the other type of lymphoma which is Hodgkin lymphoma. There are various types of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma; the most common of which are diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and follicular lymphoma. Here is everything you need to know about Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Symptoms

1. Swollen lymph nodes
A swollen lymph node in the neck, underarm and armpit which comes about without any pain is a very common symptom of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

2. Fever
When you have a sudden unexplained fever, it may be due to Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

3. Night sweats
Night sweats are simply when you sweat excessively in the night.

4. Fatigue
Feeling extremely tired can be due to Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

5. Weight loss
A sudden unexplained loss of weight is a very common symptom of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

6. Itchiness
An itchy skin is a rather serious indicator of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Causes

Just like other forms of cancer, it is not known what causes Non-Hodgkin lymphoma but there are factors which put you more at risk compared to others.

Risk factors

1. Immunosuppressive drugs
You are more likely to develop Non-Hodgkin lymphoma especially after taking immunosuppressive drugs after a major organ transplant.

2. Bacteria and viruses
Certain bacterial and viral infections cause Non-Hodgkin lymphoma including the HIV and Epstein-Barr virus as well as the Helicobacter pylori bacteria.

3. Pesticides
Research suggests that overexposure to the pesticides which kill weeds increases your likelihood of developing Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

4. Age
Elder people are also more likely to suffer from Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Treatment

1. Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy comprises of administering drugs to kill the cancerous cells, either through injection or orally which kill cancer.

2. Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy deals with radiation which is directed at the parts of your body affected by cancer.

3. Medications to enhance the immune system
There are many medications which fight off cancer by boosting the immune system.

The diagnosis of leukemia in a child is followed by a discussion regarding the treatment and tenure required for complete recovery. The way in which the doctors go through the treatment after diagnosis of leukemia is based on various factors. Such factors that influence the outlook of the child are termed as prognosis.

These prognostic factors help in taking the decision regarding what sort of treatment should be offered to the child. Treatments may either be standard or intensive based on the prognostic factors. These factors, however, are vital in treating acute lymphocytic Leukemia than the other type called the acute myelogenous Leukemia. Above all these, survival rates are discussed and these rates play an important role. Parents of the child affected may at times insist that they get to know the survival rates.

The 5-year survival rates: The 5-year survival statistics are a common method used for discussing survival rates. This is the rate that denotes the percentage of children who live for a minimum of 5 years after the diagnosis of cancer. In the case of acute leukemia, it is rare for the cancer cells to come back after five years and so, you can come to a conclusion that the child has recovered.

Prognostic factors: The survival rates are based on a number of children who are diagnosed, but this is not conclusive. The type of Leukemia also plays a vital role. There are also various other prognostic factors that affect the child's outlook such as age, gender, weight, initial blood counts, and the way the child is responding to treatments. However, the survival rates are roughly the best estimates even after taking these factors into account.

Acute lymphocytic leukemia - 5-year survival rates
The survival rate for acute lymphocytic leukemia is greater than 85? and there is a vast improvement in this percentage over a period of time.

Acute Myelogenous Leukemia -5-year survival rates
The cumulative survival rate for Acute Myelogenous Leukemia is about 60? - 70?. There was a substantial increase is this percentage over time. There are a few subtypes which have a different percentage of survival rates.

Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia - 5-year survival rates
50? is the survival rate for this type of Leukemia.

Remission
The stage where there is no sign of Leukemia after 6 weeks of treatment even after the performance of lab tests which are very sensitive, it is called as remission. The remission stage does not necessarily mean that

Leukemia has been cured completely.
In conclusion, there is a significant increase in the percentage of survival rates when it comes to cancer. It has increased from 10? to 90? in the past few years. Factually speaking, there are approximately 375000 adult survivors in the United States who were diagnosed with cancer in their childhood.

Multiple myeloma is a type of blood cancer similar to lymphoma and leukemia. Normally, plasma cells make antibodies which are responsible for fighting off infectious diseases. With multiple myeloma, however, they release too much of a protein known as immunoglobulin. Due to the excess buildup of protein in the body, organ damage occurs. Multiple myeloma cannot be cured, it can only have its progression slowed down. Here is everything you need to know about multiple myeloma:

Causes:
Just like with other forms of cancer, the exact cause of multiple myeloma is not known. However, there are several risk factors which are responsible for increasing your chances of suffering from multiple myeloma.

Risk Factors:

Age: Age poses as one of the most important risk factors. Being over 65 increases your chances of getting multiple myeloma, according to studies.
Race: African-Americans are more likely to get multiple myeloma compared to other races.
Genetics: Multiple myeloma is more likely to happen if a family member has it as well.
Other Diseases: Solitary plasmacytoma, MGUS and other plasma related diseases make you more likely to develop multiple myeloma.
Symptoms:

Bone pain or bone fractures
Fatigue
Increased vulnerability to infections
Increased or decreased urination
Restlessness eventually followed by extreme weakness and fatigue
Confusion
Increased thirst
Nausea and vomiting
Loss of appetite and weight loss
Impaired kidney function
Diagnosis:

Your doctor may test you for multiple myeloma if a blood test reveals:

Too much calcium in your blood (hypercalcemia)
Anemia
Kidney problems
High protein levels in your blood combined with a low albumin level (globulin gap)
Treatment:

There is no cure for multiple myeloma; however with good treatment you can resume normal activities. Here are the treatment options-

Biological therapy: These are medications given in pill form which enhance the body's immune system; so that it can fight off myeloma cells.
Targeted therapy: Targeted therapy is when cancerous cells are killed by targeting the abnormalities within them. These are given through a vein in your arm.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy kills all the cells which are growing at a rapid rate. These drugs can be given through injection or orally.
Corticosteroids: Corticosteroids are medicines which regulate the immune system by controlling the inflammation in the body. Corticosteroids can be taken in pill form or even through injections.
Stem Cells Transplant: An autologous stem cell transplant is recommended for all eligible and suitable patients of multiple myeloma under 65 yrs of age, who show a good response to initial therapy, as it has been proven to improve survival.

Suffering from any degenerative or terminal disease like lymphoma can be really tough. It takes a huge toll on your mental health. Whether you are suffering from it or someone close to you, the impact is extremely painful and going through each day is a fight in itself. But, you must struggle. Just to minimize your anguish a little bit more, here are some ways to cope with the lymphoma:

Be open about your disease: Try to talk about your disease with other people as much as possible. Talk about what you are going through. How it is making you feel, how painful it is. Share all of your feelings. Don t be ashamed or feel bad about your disease.
Deal with fear and scare: There is no point in minimizing the fact that you will be afraid and scared. But try to calm yourself down. Think about your options for treatment and consult your doctor about them. Learning about possible treatments will make you feel safe.
Try to engage in physical activities: As much as your body permits try to engage yourself in physical activities like walking, simple exercises, yoga, and other physical activities. It will help to keep your stress level in check.
Get out: Don t confine yourself to your home as it may lead to depression. Engage in daily activities like going to a grocery store, a shopping mall, a club or just for a stroll in the park. Calling your friends or your family and going out for a coffee can help a great deal.
Think about financial matters: Dealing with a long-term disease can be really stressful not only emotionally but also financially. This makes it extremely important to plan your finances well. If you have health care insurance, try to go over with your agent on how much you will be covered and save money accordingly.
Handle your work life: About work, talk with HRD at your office and tell him/her about your medical condition and how well you are prepared to deal with the work designated for you.
Don t push people away: In most cases, due to prolonged illness, the patients become hopeless and tries to push people close to them away. They find it extremely difficult to cope with the disease, so try to keep your loved ones as close to you as possible. If someone comes forward with a helping hand, accept it.
Managing side effects: The side effects of the treatment can affect you as well. Try to go over them with your doctor before starting your treatment.
Facing infertility: Conceiving children can be a problem during this period. If you are planning to have children, consult a fertility doctor and check your options.
Deal with relapse: If you have cancerous cells, you must be prepared for relapse. However, it will be easier to deal with relapse as you know what to expect and which way to go.

Myelopathy refers to any neurological deficit in the spinal cord. The three most common types of myelopathy are cervical myelopathy, lumbar myelopathy and thoracic myelopathy. Here are the causes and symptoms of myelopathy.
Causes
1. Injury
This is a very common cause of myelopathy. Any type of accident or even a traumatic event can cause myelopathy and perhaps even paralysis.
2. Spinal stenosis
This is a condition in which the spinal cord narrows. It is one of the leading causes of myelopathy.
3. Degenerative disc disorders
As you get older, these get more likely as well as other conditions which affect the spinal column such as osteoporosis.
4. Tumor
It is a little known fact that tumors very often do cause myelopathy.
5. Multiple sclerosis
There are many other diseases which may cause myelopathy and multiple sclerosis is one of them.
Symptoms
There are many indications that you are having a form of myelopathy and should consult a medical expert. Here are some of them.
1. Changes in coordination
What this means is that all of a sudden you may find it harder to move certain limbs the way you want to. Sometimes, this can affect the whole body.
2. Sudden muscle weakness
It is highly likely that if you have myelopathy then you will have sudden weakness in your muscles.
3. Decreased hand-eye coordination
This is perhaps the biggest indicator of myelopathy since hand eye coordination is directly linked to your spinal cord and brain and if they are not functioning properly then hand-eye coordination will be worse.
These are just some of the symptoms of myelopathy, however the doctor cannot diagnose myelopathy until he does certain tests. These tests include MRI scans and other tests as well as a regular physical check-up in addition to a look at your medical history.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a cancer of the white blood cells. It is characterized by an increased and unregulated growth of myeloid cells in the bone marrow and the accumulation of these cells in the blood.

Epidemiology, Incidence, Prevalence
In Western countries, CML accounts for 15 25% of all adult leukemias and 14% of leukemias overall (including the pediatric population, where CML is less common).

Why Does It Happen?
Neither you get it from your parents or infections, nor your smoking habits and diet seem to raise any chance of getting it. The only risk is if you've been in contact with high levels of radiation. Higher incidence of CML was seen in Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombing survivors. The rate of CML in these individuals seems to peak about 10 years after the exposure.

How would you know about it?

CML has three phases: Chronic, Accelerated, and Blastic
Chronic- It is the earliest stage. You might not even have symptoms.
Accelerated- The number of blood cells that don't work right increases Symptoms are as follows
Night sweats due to hypermetabolism
Dyspnea
Decreased appetite
Left upper quadrant abdominal pain from spleen infarction
Pain in your bones
Stroke
Changes in your vision
Ringing in your ear
Fatigue, weight loss
Loss of energy
Decreased exercise tolerance
Bruise
Blastic- The cells multiply and take over the healthy blood cells and platelets.

Symptoms-

Thrombocytopenia
Basophilia
Anemia
Rapidly enlarging spleen in blast crisis
Skin changes including bumps, tumors
Swollen gland
Infections
Bleeding, petechiae, and ecchymosis
Bone pain
Fever
Investigations
Complete blood count- To see how many white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets you have.

FISH test (fluorescence in situ hybridization)- It is a detailed lab test of your genes to see for Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome in bone marrow cells.
Polymerase chain reaction test- It is a lab test that looks for the BCR-ABL gene, which is involved in the process that tells your body to make too many of the wrong kind of white blood cells.
Ultrasonography- to see for splenomegaly.
Bone marrow test. It helps you figure out how advanced your cancer is. The doctor uses a needle to take a sample, usually from your hip bone.

Treatment

The goal of your treatment is to destroy the leukemia blood cells in your body and restore healthy ones to a normal level. It's usually not possible to get rid of all the bad cells.
If you get treatment during the early, chronic phase of CML, it can help prevent the disease from moving to a more serious level.
Doctors usually give drugs known as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) first. They slow down the rate at which your body makes leukemia cells.

Suffering from any degenerative or terminal disease like lymphoma can be really tough. It takes a huge toll on your mental health. Whether you are suffering from it or someone close to you, the impact is extremely painful and going through each day is a fight in itself. But, you must struggle. Just to minimize your anguish a little bit more, here are some ways to cope with the lymphoma:

Be open about your disease: Try to talk about your disease with other people as much as possible. Talk about what you are going through. How it is making you feel, how painful it is. Share all of your feelings. Don t be ashamed or feel bad about your disease.
Deal with fear and scare: There is no point in minimizing the fact that you will be afraid and scared. But try to calm yourself down. Think about your options for treatment and consult your doctor about them. Learning about the possible treatments will make you feel safe.
Try to engage in physical activities: As much as your body permits try to engage yourself in physical activities like walking, simple exercises, yoga, and other physical activities. It will help to keep your stress level in check.
Get out: Don t confine yourself to your home as it may lead to depression. Engage in daily activities like going to a grocery store, a shopping mall, a club or just for a stroll in the park. Calling your friends or your family and going out for a coffee can help a great deal.
Think about financial matters: Dealing with a long-term disease can be really stressful not only emotionally but also financially. This makes it extremely important to plan your finances well. If you have health care insurance, try to go over with your agent on how much you will be covered and save money accordingly.
Handle your work life: About work, talk with HRD at your office and tell him/her about your medical condition and how well you are prepared to deal with the work designated for you.
Don t push people away: In most cases, due to prolonged illness, the patients become hopeless and tries to push people close to them away. They find it extremely difficult to cope with the disease, so try to keep your loved ones as close to you as possible. If someone comes forward with a helping hand, accept it.
Managing side effects: The side effects of the treatment can affect you as well. Try to go over them with your doctor before starting your treatment.
Facing infertility: Conceiving children can be a problem during this period. If you are planning to have children, consult a fertility doctor and check your options.
Deal with relapse: If you have cancerous cells, you must be prepared for a relapse. However, it will be easier to deal with a relapse as you know what to expect and which way to go.

Suffering from any degenerative or terminal disease like lymphoma can be really tough. It takes a huge toll on your mental health. Whether you are suffering from it or someone close to you, the impact is extremely painful and going through each day is a fight in itself. But, you must struggle. Just to minimize your anguish a little bit more, here are some ways to cope with the lymphoma:

Be open about your disease: Try to talk about your disease with other people as much as possible. Talk about what you are going through. How it is making you feel, how painful it is. Share all of your feelings. Don t be ashamed or feel bad about your disease.
Deal with fear and scare: There is no point in minimizing the fact that you will be afraid and scared. But try to calm yourself down. Think about your options for treatment and consult your doctor about them. Learning about the possible treatments will make you feel safe.
Try to engage in physical activities: As much as your body permits try to engage yourself in physical activities like walking, simple exercises, yoga, and other physical activities. It will help to keep your stress level in check.
Get out: Don t confine yourself to your home as it maJust to minimize your anguish a little bit more, here are some ways to cope with the lymphomay lead to depression. Engage in daily activities like going to a grocery store, a shopping mall, a club or just for a stroll in the park. Calling your friends or your family and going out for a coffee can help a great deal.
Think about financial matters: Dealing with a long-term disease can be really stressful not only emotionally but also financially. This makes it extremely important to plan your finances well. If you have health care insurance, try to go over with your agent on how much you will be covered and save money accordingly.
Handle your work life: About work, talk with HRD at your office and tell him/her about your medical condition and how well you are prepared to deal with the work designated for you.
Don t push people away: In most cases, due to prolonged illness, the patients become hopeless and tries to push people close to them away. They find it extremely difficult to cope with the disease, so try to keep your loved ones as close to you as possible. If someone comes forward with a helping hand, accept it.
Managing side effects: The side effects of the treatment can affect you as well. Try to go over them with your doctor before starting your treatment.
Facing infertility: Conceiving children can be a problem during this period. If you are planning to have children, consult a fertility doctor and check your options.
Deal with relapse: If you have cancerous cells, you must be prepared for a relapse. However, it will be easier to deal with a relapse as you know what to expect and which way to go.

Myelopathy refers to any neurological deficit in the spinal cord. The three most common types of myelopathy are cervical myelopathy, lumbar myelopathy and thoracic myelopathy.

Here are the causes and symptoms of myelopathy.

Causes

1. Injury
This is a very common cause of myelopathy. Any type of accident or even a traumatic event can cause myelopathy and perhaps even paralysis.

2. Spinal stenosis
This is a condition in which the spinal cord narrows. It is one of the leading causes of myelopathy.

3. Degenerative disc disorders
As you get older, these get more likely as well as other conditions which affect the spinal column such as osteoporosis.

4. Tumor
It is a little known fact that tumors very often do cause myelopathy.

5. Multiple sclerosis
There are many other diseases which may cause myelopathy and multiple sclerosis is one of them.

Symptoms

There are many indications that you are having a form of myelopathy and should consult a medical expert. Here are some of them.

1. Changes in coordination
What this means is that all of a sudden you may find it harder to move certain limbs the way you want to. Sometimes, this can affect the whole body.

2. Sudden muscle weakness
It is highly likely that if you have myelopathy then you will have sudden weakness in your muscles.

3. Decreased hand-eye coordination
This is perhaps the biggest indicator of myelopathy since hand eye coordination is directly linked to your spinal cord and brain and if they are not functioning properly then hand-eye coordination will be worse.

These are just some of the symptoms of myelopathy, however the doctor cannot diagnose myelopathy until he does certain tests. These tests include MRI scans and other tests as well as a regular physical check-up in addition to a look at your medical history.