Long-term prognosis for non-HD Lymphoma?

mauschen
mauschen Member Posts: 2
Hi Everyone!

I just reached my 10-year anniversary earlier this year. I was diagnosed with T-Cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma at 11 in 1998, and was in remission within 2 weeks. I was on chemo for two years but thankfully received no radiation. No relapses, kind of a "dream case" (if you can call 2 years of chemo any kind of dream). I'm incredibly grateful for that.

I'm 23 now, and though the 10 years-off-chemo milestone is amazing and exciting, it's also really scary for some reason. I've tried to find some studies or research into the long-term prognosis for childhood cancer survivors-- I know I'm generally more at risk for various problems, but it would just make me feel a million times better to hear about people who have lived long and healthy lives as childhood cancer survivors. I can't live the rest of my life with this feeling like my days are numbered... the worst part is part of me honestly doesn't know if it might be true!

Do I have just as good a chance as everyone else to live a long and reasonably healthy life? When I try to ask my doctors they give guarded responses, that my particular treatment has only been around for about 20 years and thus they don't have a whole lot of test cases to look at. What do you guys think? How many childhood cancer survivors have lived to be in their 60s, 70s and beyond? Is it silly to even ask, considering how much tremendously better treatment is now than it was 60 years ago? I'm just feeling frightened and looking for a little reassurance. I think my boyfriend is getting tired of my constant need for it. =)

Comments

  • DennisR
    DennisR Member Posts: 148
    Hi Mauschen,
    You may find

    Hi Mauschen,

    You may find some of the answers you're looking for at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society web site @ www.lls.org.
    I get a lot of good info there, there's also some good advice and info for Clinical Trials that some of the posters may be interested in looking into.
    Hope it helps you some, congrats on the 10 years, keep on keepin' on.
    DennisR
  • mauschen
    mauschen Member Posts: 2
    DennisR said:

    Hi Mauschen,
    You may find

    Hi Mauschen,

    You may find some of the answers you're looking for at the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society web site @ www.lls.org.
    I get a lot of good info there, there's also some good advice and info for Clinical Trials that some of the posters may be interested in looking into.
    Hope it helps you some, congrats on the 10 years, keep on keepin' on.
    DennisR

    Thanks Dennis!
    I'll definitely check out the site. Thanks so much for the link.