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As discussed above people with stage I follicular lymphoma can be cured with radiation therapy see Radiation therapy above. Some patients can be in watch-and-wait mode for 10 years or more.
With several possible treatment plans there is no reason why we cannot live for several years but everyone is different and there are no certainties in life.
How long can i live with follicular lymphoma. FL patients who display responsive disease to their primary treatment have a very long life expectancy with median survival of 326 yrs. Similarly to the aggressive lymphoma subtypes primary refractory disease is of major concern also for FL. Follicular Lymphoma is a type of Hodgkins Lymphoma.
It is usually low grade composed mostly of small cleaved cells or centrocytes. If low grade a patient can live up to 25 years. These 5 factors are.
Being older than 60 years having stage 3 or 4 follicular lymphoma having a low red blood cell haemoglobin level having more than 4 areas of lymph nodes affected with lymphoma a higher than normal blood level of an enzyme called LDH serum lactate dehydrogenase. A diagnosis of follicular lymphoma is overwhelming and confusing. On the one hand many people live with this slow-growing disease for many years with a good quality of life.
On the other hand managing stress and anxiety about living with follicular lymphoma can be hard on you and your caregivers. How long we can live with stage 4 follicular lymphoma. That is a question we all ask.
With several possible treatment plans there is no reason why we cannot live for several years but everyone is different and there are no certainties in life. The disease can usually be kept at bay for many years with several courses of treatment. The good news is time is on your side Lee says.
Follicular lymphoma grows slowly and new and better treatments are helping people live disease-free longer. Although it usually cant be cured you can live long and well with follicular lymphoma. For me knowing as much as I can about Follicular Lymphoma is a source of comfort.
I feel like I can have a conversation with my oncologist and ask the right questions. And knowing for me is also a source of hope. I can track the progress of new treatments get excited about trial results and look toward the future.
Stage IV lymphoma is the most advanced but this can mean very different things for different people – including living a fulfilling life for many years in some cases. If the disease does progress toward the end of life people go through stages that include changing the focus of therapy emphasis on quality of life and symptom control and providing support and comfort up to the last day of life. Welcome to Living with Follicular Lymphoma My name is Nicky Greenhalgh and in February 2014 I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Grade 2 Follicular Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.
You may be reading this because you have been diagnosed yourself or someone close to you has. My intention for this website is to connect as many FL patients. Indolent lymphomas like yours and mine can have long periods of slow growth and lots of treatment options.
I was treated 10 years ago and I havent needed treatment since. Im still doing well. Everyones lymphoma is different but as I said theres lots of reason for hope.
But lets be conservative and say the median overall survival for follicular lymphoma is 15 years. In general people are more likely to be diagnosed with FL when they are in their 60s lets say 65. So if someone is diagnosed at 65 with FL and the median overall survival is 15 years then statistically half will live past 80.
B cell lymphoma is not one disease but a few dozen heterogeneous diseases or individual cancers that affect the b-cells in the lymphatic systemHowever the most common type of b cell lymphoma is diffuse large b-cell lymphoma DLBCL and researchers have come up with a rather handy method of determining prognosis for people with DLBCL Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma life expectancy. How Long You Can Expect to Watch and Wait About half of all patients can put off treatment for at least 3 years Abetti says. Some patients can be in watch-and-wait mode for 10 years or more.
For some people the lymphoma may never go away completely. These people may get regular treatments with chemo radiation or other therapies to help keep the lymphoma in check for as long as possible and to help relieve symptoms. Learning to live with lymphoma that doesnt go away can be difficult and very stressful.
There are very few cancers for which doctors will use the word cure right off the bat but Hodgkin lymphoma HL the most common cancer diagnosis. Since cancer is a genetic disease adoption of the 4PEP program is essential in leading to long-term success. In the case of follicular lymphoma and other indolent lymphomas where the cancerous cells are very close to being normal small changes can often make a HUGE difference.
As discussed above people with stage I follicular lymphoma can be cured with radiation therapy see Radiation therapy above. For people with stage II III or IV disease table 1 the average survival is greater than 20 years. My understanding is Aggresive treatment starts immediately and they do have a better chance of living longer years than Indolent which often does a.