"Double Hit" Stage 3 Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL)
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Janel Gomez
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Janel Gomez
I want to share a little bit about my disease and prognosis.
DLBCL is the most common type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and its named from the kind of cell that makes up this cancer. This cancer starts in white blood cells called B cells. B cells also are called B lymphocytes. It is an aggressive fast growing lymphoma. I also have "double hit" DLBCL, a subtype characterized by genetic rearrangements two (instead of one) of the following genes (MYC, BCL2, BCL6). In my case, the two gene translocations occur on BCL2 and BCL6. This is good news as translocation of the MYC gene indicates a more dangerous and aggressive form of the disease. Other good news is that the cancer is not in my bone marrow.
The treatment, which I have detailed in my other posts, is a 7 rounds of R-EPOCH chemo (every 21 days) . After round 3 of chemo, I will be given another PET Scan to gauge how effective the chemo has been. This will help us determine how many more chemo session I will need and if they need to "adjust the dose" of the R-EPOCH Chemo. I will keep you in the loop.
So far the signs are very good and I have been reluctant to share because of my own superstitions. Before I started chemo, I had large masses in my neck and armpit. My PET scan also showed an enlarged spleen. The masses were so large, my face looked slightly deformed (that's the best word I can think of....my neck disappeared and my head looked as if fused to my body) and the mass in my armpit was the size of a softball. Within days of the first chemo treatment, all of the masses subsided and now they are not detectable. All of the oncologists seem pleased with this result, as are we.
The good news about DLBCL is that it is highly treatable, responds well to chemo, can be cured, and survival rates are high. 60% to 65% of patients achieve complete remission and are considered cured after their initial round of standard chemotherapy. The bad news is that it can relapse, even years later. Right now, we are focused on a cure and praying that this chemo kicks it to the curb.
DLBCL is the most common type of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and its named from the kind of cell that makes up this cancer. This cancer starts in white blood cells called B cells. B cells also are called B lymphocytes. It is an aggressive fast growing lymphoma. I also have "double hit" DLBCL, a subtype characterized by genetic rearrangements two (instead of one) of the following genes (MYC, BCL2, BCL6). In my case, the two gene translocations occur on BCL2 and BCL6. This is good news as translocation of the MYC gene indicates a more dangerous and aggressive form of the disease. Other good news is that the cancer is not in my bone marrow.
The treatment, which I have detailed in my other posts, is a 7 rounds of R-EPOCH chemo (every 21 days) . After round 3 of chemo, I will be given another PET Scan to gauge how effective the chemo has been. This will help us determine how many more chemo session I will need and if they need to "adjust the dose" of the R-EPOCH Chemo. I will keep you in the loop.
So far the signs are very good and I have been reluctant to share because of my own superstitions. Before I started chemo, I had large masses in my neck and armpit. My PET scan also showed an enlarged spleen. The masses were so large, my face looked slightly deformed (that's the best word I can think of....my neck disappeared and my head looked as if fused to my body) and the mass in my armpit was the size of a softball. Within days of the first chemo treatment, all of the masses subsided and now they are not detectable. All of the oncologists seem pleased with this result, as are we.
The good news about DLBCL is that it is highly treatable, responds well to chemo, can be cured, and survival rates are high. 60% to 65% of patients achieve complete remission and are considered cured after their initial round of standard chemotherapy. The bad news is that it can relapse, even years later. Right now, we are focused on a cure and praying that this chemo kicks it to the curb.
Janel Gomez
about 1 month ago
Comments
Melva Gomez about 1 month ago
Jungkoo Kang about 1 month ago
Alex Bonick about 1 month ago