HL Causes

Jeff,

The cause of lymphoma is unknown because the cause of virtually all cancers, and indeed most diseases, is unknown. There are a few, partial exceptions, such as that skin cancers seem related to sun exposure, except that some people with very minimal exposure get it. Lung cancer is frequently linked to smoking, except that some people who smoke three packs a day for 60 years never get it, while a substantial number of people who have never smoked do. Exposure to a virus causes the ful. But for every cleary identified cause of a disease, they are plenty of others that are without a known cause.  Obviously, minimize exposure to the sun, and don't smoke, but not because the "cause" is known, because it isn't.  

GKH mentioned the viral link in lymphoma, except that more than half of lymphoma patients are negative for that as well (I am negative).  There is no detected  (currently known) genetic marker for lymphoma or leukemia developing.  My treatment center did a very extensive questionaire regarding my medical and genetic background (as they do of all new patients), and I have read studies on the speculated cause(s) of Lymphoma which show that a lot of reaserch has in fact gone into this question. Just no answers.  The same is true of many others. There is not even a theory as to why many brain tumors emerge. And so on.

Other diseases I have read a good deal about are the same. Consider Parkinson's (which doctors say I am over 50% risk for, due to RBD, a sleep  disorder). What Parkinson's does to the brain and brain stem is known, and to a good extent how it does what it does is known, but why is anyone's guess.  Even why people have heart attacks is wide-open.  The tradionally held view was that plaques deposited in the arteries, and then caused blockages.  An equally strong view holds some sort of infection to be at the root, with plaques have a much lesser role.

The largest study in history of saturated fats in the diet (reviewing all of the data from over 72 previous studies on the subject), conducted by Cambridge University and Oxford University released several months ago concluded that saturated fats have NO (detectable or clinically demonstratable) linkage to eventual heart attack: not only no weak linkage, but no linkage at all.  The writer of this article obviously temporizes a bit, especially at the beginning, since this study is so against the grain. This makes a mockery of decades of "established science" on the subject.  Scroll to the bottom of the rerport for how the experts interpreted the data, to avoid the "spin" near the top, which is damning enough. http://www.nhs.uk/news/2014/03March/Pages/Saturated-fats-and-heart-disease-link-unproven.aspx 

I did my Intake to my cancer center's Wellness Following program a few months ago, and one of the people I met was the Registered Dietician. The Oxford study had been published about two months before I met her. She was finishing her raw broccoli sprouts lunch when I was taken in to see her.  Her blurb ? All of the traditional warnings about fats. She seemingly had never heard of the new review.   

I will continue my Lipitor, and eat as "heathy" a diet as I am comfortable with, but there is little to suggest that it will do anything regarding a futher heart attack that I might or might not have.  The famous, bestselling heart health writer and exercise guru, Jim Fixx, who more-or-less founded the running craze of the 1970s (I was a believer, and ran 26 miles a week for years), died in 1982, at the age of 52 , of a heart attack !  While on a jog !  I am not making this up !  http://www.nytimes.com/1984/07/22/obituaries/james-f-fixx-dies-jogging-author-on-running-was-52.html

I hope the cause of lymphoma is someday known. It seems a bit far away at the moment.

max

Jeff148 said:

Great comments

Thanks guys for allowing me to rant a bit. I was having a tough week! What all of you have said makes sense. I just want to know the trigger, but, like all of you have said, it's tough to figure out. 

Hi Jeff,

 I have been asking the same questions since 2010 when I was first diagnosed. My FNHL may have been caused from chemical exposure while using pesticides around the school yards. But..no doctor so far has given me a yes or no answer, just alot of "maybe's". I've researched and made myself crazy on occassion trying to figure out what I can or should now be doing differently. I was so bummed in April when my cancer showed up again. I keep thinking, why didn't the 2 years of Rituxan maint keep me in remission longer than a year...it did others, why not me? I've given up trying to find answers,and instead just wake up each day and pray it will be as good a day as possible without something new popping up, sending me off to the doctor again! Watchful waiting is not easy for me right now, because I feel like I am doing nothing to confuse,scare,or at least attacking the active cancer inside of me. I know it sounds silly, but sometimes I think the cancer is just having a hay day wandering around my body looking for another place to settle and disrupt my life. Since 2010 I have had this crap show up in 6 places...groin, abdomen, neck, right eye, right cheek and right paratracheal chest node. I'm like..."where next"? I get how you are feeling, I just don't have any great words of wisdom or solutions to share. I just go back to the same old mantra...."live life one day at a time, as best as you can and as stress free as possible". The rest is in Gods hands. Wish I could be more help, but I'm flying by the seat of my pants right now. Take care...Sue 

unknown said:

Rituxan

Hi Sue. Hope you are settled in at the river. I am at my cabin through early September. The temp and humidity on the mountain are much, much better than the lowlands. And its quiet.

You are much more knowledgeable than I when it comes to treatments. However I wanted to mention that I met a guy who relapsed 13 months after he went off Rituxan maintenance. He was then put back on it and things cleared up and he is in remission again. Its worth considering. I know some people are on Rituxan for several years. Its only considered a failed therapy if one experiences a relapse while taking infusions. I understand what you mean about fearing the cancer has nothing fighting it. We are both going through that. I refuse to let this ruin my summer so unless I feel markedly worse I will not be going back before November.

Good luck fishing. Enjoy your summer.

Thanks GKH,

  I am truely enjoying our new life on the river, I just had to get past the bumpy landing after getting here.  Radiation on my eye and then the emergency appendectomy took the wind out of my sails when we first arrived, but I'm back on track now. My new Oncologist here in Hood River did tell me that since I had such a good response from the CVP-R and 2 years of Rituxan, that we can do it again when needed. Right now she is letting me rest and relax for the summer and then this fall we will retest and see how things are looking. Of course I will have to watch things in the meantime, so unless I start feeling badly, I like you, plan on enjoying every minute this summer. Big fishing starts up at the end of this month, so I'm anxious to get that going. It's suppose to be a record year for salmon and steelhead and since we are minutes from our fishing hole, the summer is shaping up very nicely! I'm off to my elderly Aunts house tomorrow for the next 4 days. She lives about 5 hours south of us. She is back in the battle with her breast cancer, so I'm taking her to chemo on Tuesday and then stay a few more days with her. She's 89 and needs some help. You take care and enjoy your cabin retreat with it's nice weather and peaceful surroundings. It sounds delightful! Sue