LYMPHOMA

PET Scan Can Find Lymphoma Early

The earlier that your lymphoma is found, the better the chances for your successful treatment.

There are two main types of lymphomas. Hodgkin's lymphoma or Hodgkin's disease was identified in 1832 by Dr. Thomas Hodgkin. All other types of lymphoma are called non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL).

Because lymph tissue is found in many parts of the body, lymphoma can start nearly anywhere. The lymph nodes become enlarged and the cancer can spread through the lymph system.

Hodgkin's disease and NHL are different diseases that both arise from the lymph node tissues in the body. In fact, there are many, many types of NHL. The different types can be distinguished from one another by looking at the cells under a microscope. Regardless of the type of cell, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment is key to a patient's long-term well-being -- which is how a PET scan can help.

CareImaging PET Scan Clinic is committed to using the power of PET scan technology to find lymphoma early and therefore improve lymphoma treatment results and save Canadian lives.

How a PET scan can make a difference with Lymphoma:

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Lymphoma Diagnosis

There are no screening tests to find Hodgkin's disease or NHL early, and some people with the disease have no symptoms at all. The signs and symptoms of lymphomas may vary depending on the location of the lymph tissue that is involved with the disease.

Because enlarged lymph nodes are the primary sign of lymphoma, it can be difficult to diagnose because enlarged lymph nodes commonly occur when someone has an infection. Doctors often choose to observe swollen nodes over several weeks to look for changes or reductions in size. Some of the most common early symptoms of lymphoma may include the following:

• Enlarged, painless lymph nodes
• Swollen lymph nodes inside the body that create pressure on organs or body parts near them. This can cause such symptoms as coughing, shortness of breath, swelling in the abdomen, intestinal blockage, or abdominal pain.

In addition to the local signs related directly to the enlarged lymph nodes, patients may also experience the following:

• Fever
• Drenching night sweats
• Weight loss
• Iitching
• Tiredness
• Decreased appetite

If the suspicious lymph nodes don't heal on their own, a physician will either take a small piece of the node or, more commonly, remove the entire node for examination under the microscope (biopsy).

If a lymphoma is found, prompt treatment could save your life.

If your doctor suspects you might have lymphoma, he or she will most likely talk to you about your medical history, do a physical exam and biopsy the enlarged lymph node.

PET scan can help doctors select a site for biopsy when the first suspected site is not easily accessible. If you have lymphoma, your doctor might want to do additional tests.

PET scan is one of the most accurate ways to characterize the extent of lymphoma spread.

PET scans, available at CareImaging PET Scan Clinic in Ontario, are diagnostic imaging tests that help your doctors learn more about the tumour. In fact, a PET scan might even prevent an unnecessary biopsy.

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Call CareImaging today at 905-712-9500 or email us at info@careimaging.com for more information on the benefits of a PET scan or to schedule a PET scan.

Lymphoma Treatment

Before you are treated for lymphoma, your doctors must determine how much lymphoma you have. This is called staging the cancer.

Treatment options as well as the outlook for your recovery depend on both the exact type and the stage of the lymphoma.

Tests used to gather information for staging may include the following:

• A physical examination
• Blood tests
• A bone marrow aspiration and biopsy
• A lumbar puncture (spinal tap)
• Imaging tests including a PET scan

PET is the most useful test that you can have when doctors are staging or re-staging lymphoma because it accurately shows the extent of the spread of the cancer.

Lymphoma Follow Up

After your lymphoma treatment, it is important to know if any active cancer cells remain in the body. In the past, the amount and type of therapy used were set according to standard rules. A PET scan allows the type and amount of therapy to be directed specifically to you, the patient, and based on the location and extent of your type of lymphoma.

PET scan is a critical diagnostic imaging tool in looking for the return of the lymphoma. Before PET, it was extremely difficult to monitor patients to see if the lymphoma had returned. Multiple CT scans would be required to capture images of the whole body, and these still could not see the recurrent cancer as sensitively as a PET scan can. The sooner cancer recurrence is found, the sooner your physician can schedule further treatment or surgically remove it.

PET also can be used to image the response of lymphoma tumours to therapy and to detect whether the cancer might have recurred. After your treatment, PET plays an extremely important role in determining whether the cancer cells have returned. Studies have shown that PET may also identify patients who are more likely to go into remission and less likely to relapse because PET can reveal a characteristic pattern of reduction in glucose uptake in the abnormal lymph nodes during chemotherapy.

Cancer cells that have been killed by your treatment will not absorb any of the radioactive glucose you are given for the PET scan. In addition, although post-treatment tumour masses may still be present and seen on CT scans, the cancerous cells may, in fact, no longer be alive. Unlike a CT scan, a PET scan can determine this. Conversely, if the cancer cells have come back, PET can see the accumulation of the radioactive glucose much sooner than a CT scan-treatment and your physicians can begin treatment much sooner. This may improve your chances for recovery.

Call CareImaging today at 905-712-9500 or email us at info@careimaging.com for more information on the benefits of a PET scan or to schedule a PET scan.

Lymphoma Statistics

This year, there will be about 7,080 new cases of Lymphoma in Canada. It is the fifth most common cancer in this country, excluding non-melanoma skin cancers, and the most common malignant tumours of adults between the ages of 20-40 years.

More Information About Lymphoma:

Canadian Cancer Society
Cancer Care Ontario
Lymphoma Foundation Canada
The Lymphoma Information Network