Lymphoma and Myeloma Treatment

Both lymphoma and myeloma are two types of cancers that start in the marrow, which is where your body makes blood cells. Because of this, these blood cancers affect the way your body fights infection and disease. Individuals may experience different signs and symptoms depending on the type of blood cancer and how much the disease has progressed.

Lymphoma and Myeloma Cancers Signs and Symptoms

Signs and symptoms can vary and show up in different parts of the body. Early on, these blood cancers may not cause any noticeable signs and symptoms until they start to grow and spread.

Individuals with myeloma may experience:

Fatigue.
Confusion or mental fogginess.
Excessive thirst.
Loss of appetite.
Nausea.
Unexplained weight loss.
Constipation.
Numbness or weakness.
Bone pain, especially in the chest and spine.
Frequent infections.

Meanwhile, lymphoma can cause:

Fevers.
Cough.
Persistent fatigue.
Night sweats.
Shortness of breath.
Itchy skin.
Unexplained weight loss.
Swelling or bulging lymph nodes in your neck, armpits, or groin.

Lymphoma and Myeloma Cancers Risk Factors

The exact causes of both lymphoma and myeloma are still widely unknown. Several risk factors may increase someone’s chances of developing these cancers. Having one — or several — of these risk factors does not guarantee that someone will get cancer, though.

Risk factors for lymphoma include:

Being male.
Having a close family member who has had either lymphoma or another blood cancer.
Having an impaired immune system or immune system disease.
Developing infections like the Epstein-Barr virus or Helicobacter pylori infection.

Meanwhile, risk factors for myeloma include:

Being male.
Being over 60 years old.
Being Black or from the Mediterranean, Middle East, or North Africa.
Having been exposed to either radiation or wood products, herbicides, and chemicals.
Having a family history of the disease or a personal history with a solitary plasmacytoma of the bone.

How Lymphoma and Myeloma Cancers Are Diagnosed

If a patient is showing some of the signs and symptoms of lymphoma or myeloma, healthcare providers will inquire more into the patient’s personal and family medical history. They will perform a physical exam and order more tests like a complete blood count.

If a patient is suspected of having lymphoma, a doctor will need to perform a lymph node biopsy to confirm the diagnosis. Different imaging tests may also be ordered, including:

Computed tomography (CT) scans.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Positron emission tomography (PET) scans.
Chest X-rays.
Ultrasounds.
Bone scans.

To diagnose myeloma, doctors may order specific blood chemistry tests to determine what your calcium, albumin, creatine, and LDH levels are. They may also order a urine test and bone marrow aspiration biopsy to test a section of your bone marrow in the lab.

Treatments Offered at The Oncology Institute

At The Oncology Institute, we specialize in delivering quality, compassionate care. Based on the type of cancer you have, the stage, and your overall health, we’ll create a personalized treatment plan. Through our different options, we are committed to changing oncology for the better.

At our clinics, we offer:

Chemotherapy.
Immunotherapy.
Radiation therapy.
Hormone therapy.
Clinical trials.

Request an Appointment Today

To learn more about our state-of-the-art medical care and how we can provide the most appropriate treatment, contact us today to request an appointment.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Acute myeloid leukemia
Bladder cancer
Bone cancer
Brain cancer
Breast cancer
Cervical cancer
Choriocarcinoma
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML)
Colon cancer
Endometrial cancer
Esophageal/esophagus cancer
Gallbladder cancer
Gastric cancer
Gastrointestinal stromal tumors
Head and neck cancer
Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Kaposi’s sarcoma
Kidney (renal cell) cancer
Larynx cancer
Leukemia

Liver cancer
Lung cancer
Male breast cancer
Melanoma
Mesothelioma
Multiple myeloma
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Non-small cell lung cancer
Osteosarcoma
Ovarian cancer
Pancreatic cancer
Prostate cancer
Rectal cancer
Renal cancer
Sarcoma
Skin cancer
Small cell lung cancer
Soft tissue sarcomas
Testicular cancer
Throat cancer
Thyroid cancer
Uterine cancer