Author: Monday Hai
Source: Knowledge is Power magazine
According to relevant news reports, at the age of 28, when everything was getting better, Gillian (pseudonym) was diagnosed with follicular lymphoma stage 2 and stage 4 with systemic lupus erythematosus. The probability of these two diseases colliding at the same time was only seven in a million multiplied by one in 100,000, but such a low probability was indeed encountered by her.
Gillian undergoing treatment in the hospital
In the face of the sudden blow, she did not accept defeat, but chose to fight against the disease.
She hit the Internet with a "project report" called "self-help" by netizens, and she was concerned about the pain points touched by the disease: most people's fear of disease uncertainty and lack of understanding of cancer treatment.
Recent photo of Gillian
In fact, lymphoma is not uncommon, but there is a tendency to "favor" young adults.
The famous entrepreneur Kai-Fu Lee was once plagued by lymphoma. Luo Jing, a famous CCTV announcer, was 48 years old, and young actor Li Yu was killed by lymphoma at the age of 32.
Be wary of lymphoma "favoring" young adults
Lymphoma is a malignant tumor that originates in the hematopoietic system, it is not a single disease, according to the Classification of the World Health Organization, lymphoma is actually a collective term for more than 70 different subtypes of "lymphoma families". The incidence of many subtypes in the "lymphoma family" is extremely low, and they all belong to the category of "rare diseases" defined by the World Health Organization internationally, such as sleeve cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Fahrenheit macroglobulinemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, etc.
Gu Hongfei, founder of "Lymphoma Home", said: "Between tumors and rare diseases, there is an intersection called 'rare tumors', which has the characteristics of two classifications - the degree of harm to the patient's life, and because the disease is rare, the choice of treatment methods and medications is often very limited." ”
The symptoms of lymphoma are mainly swollen lymph nodes that can be felt superficially in the body, and are generally painless swelling in the early stages, so they are often ignored. Experts especially remind that in fact, touching the lymph nodes of the neck, armpits and groin at home is very useful for early detection. If you find painless lymph nodes with a diameter of more than 1 cm, good mobility, and a texture as tough as the bridge of the nose, you should go to a regular hospital to find a professional doctor to make a clear diagnosis by doing punctures, pathological biopsies, etc.
Illustration of a human lymphatic nerve example
At present, the pathogenesis of lymphoma is not clear in medicine, but in recent years, the incidence of lymphoma has a major feature: the proportion of young people among patients has increased. Clinically, some patients are only 20 or 30 years old. And these young people once suffering from lymphoma, but also mostly aggressive, more dangerous.
Long-term "stress" has an increased probability of cancer
Kai-Fu Lee often stays up late with young people and returns emails in the middle of the night. The people he worked with were all under the impression that emailing him at two or three o'clock in the middle of the night and getting a quick reply and that his sleep quality was poor. Wang Zhaohui, spokesman for the Innovation Factory, said, "He has always been gentle and rational about his work for his family, and when he encounters pressure, he will also carry it himself and digest it silently." The doctor said that this was not good for the body. ”
Medical experts said that the cause of lymphoma is not clear, and it is generally believed to be related to genetic mutations, viral and other pathogen infections, radiation, chemical drugs and so on. To be sure, the increasing incidence of lymphoma is related to the increasing environmental pollution, the acceleration of the pace of life, the increase in work pressure, the long-term poor ventilation environment, hair dyeing or the use of non-environmentally friendly decoration materials. These will cause the body's immunity to decline, and the virus will have the opportunity to invade and induce lymphoma. Of course, if the long-term "stress" is high, the probability of developing any tumor will increase, not only specific to lymphoma.
There is also a view that white-collar office workers have been in electromagnetic radiation and mobile phone radiation for a long time, and they are also prone to induce malignant lymphoma. In this regard, experts believe that there is no relevant scientific basis and experiments, but it is still necessary to avoid long-term uninterrupted radiation.
In addition, for the "essential oil massage, lymphatic drainage" project played by many beauty salons in the city, experts pointed out that "lymph" is a concept of the whole body, which connects various important organs inside the body, and the lymphatic system that plays a role in filtration and defense is composed of lymphatic ducts, lymphoid tissues and lymphoid organs. Just like the blood vessels of the human body, many lymphatic ducts are in our body and cannot be directly touched. Therefore, the so-called "essential oil massage, lymphatic drainage" in beauty salons has little effect on the prevention of lymphoma.
The precautions recommended by experts at present are as follows:
1. Pay attention to climate change, prevent and actively treat viral infections. 2. Pay close attention to the changes of superficially enlarged lymph nodes, and be more vigilant for patients with similar diseases in family members. 3. Strengthen physical exercise and improve the body's immunity and disease resistance. 4. Actively treat other chronic diseases that may be related to the occurrence of this disease, such as chronic lymphadenitis and autoimmune diseases. 5. For superficial lesions, attention should be paid to skin cleaning to avoid unnecessary damage or irritation
Early detection and early treatment have a high cure rate
Although lymphoma sounds terrible, but with the continuous development of science and technology, lymphoma has long been out of the scope of "terminal disease", as long as it is detected early, and can be correctly diagnosed, accurately classified, staged, and let patients maintain a good attitude, cure lymphoma is not a myth.
Professor Zhu Jun of Peking University Cancer Hospital said: "In fact, lymphoma is expected to become a 'one-hit- and hit' tumor, if patients can be diagnosed in time and effective treatment, the condition may be well controlled to a great extent." Today, new drugs, including targeted drugs and the use of immunotherapy, have brought lymphoma treatment into the era of chemotherapy-free. Especially in the development of local innovative drugs, new therapies are being explored for rare subtypes such as set shower and slow shower. As a clinician, I hope that more and more new therapies will benefit more patients. ”
In addition, on March 1, 2021, the National Basic Medical Insurance, Work Injury Insurance and Maternity Insurance Drug Catalogue (2020) was officially implemented nationwide, and the total number of drugs in the adjusted 2020 Drug Catalogue was 2800, especially in the fields of tumors, cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases and immune system diseases. It is understood that the vast majority of symptomatic treatment drugs for rare diseases are already in the medical insurance list. This brings more hope to cancer patients.
Note: This article is based on the comprehensive collation of "Knowledge is Power" magazine, Youlai Doctor, China News Network, Jiefang Daily, Shangguan News, News Workshop, and Guangzhou Daily