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I can understand your
I can understand your anxiety, but you haven't provided enough information for me or anyone to try and answer your question (the reason you haven't is obviously because your friend has been so vague). However, before anyone can address your concerns with stats or figures, we would need to know the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma subtype he was diagnosed with (i.e. diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, Burkitt's lymphoma- there are dozens of subtypes) as well as the stage he was diagnosed in (stage I, II, III or IV). His age and overall health would be helpful too.
i understand this. im not
i understand this. im not sure its appropriate for me to ask him at this point in time. He is currently 17 years old, and in what would seem perfect health (fit, athletic, etc).
from experience, what do u think he has?
He's 17? Well that might
He's 17? Well that might rule out some lymphomas and make others more likely. Hodgkin's Disease is possible, although unless it's really advanced the cure rate is generally much higher than 50%.
By the way, it's absolutely appropriate to ask him at this point in time; when would be a better time? He may not know the answers so you might want to approach his parents or someone like that instead, simply so you know you're getting the right information. Just don't be afraid to talk about it or ask about it.
His dad died of lymph node
His dad died of lymph node cancer last year in may (may 2009) and he was diagnosed 2 months later in July. so he is currently 5 months along. he was told he had a year to live. that means 7 months to live. hasn't told anyone, especially his mother about it, he is afraid that it might hurt her to be informed of this particular fact. His close friends know. The only information i have received from him is that its is "non - hodgkins" lymphoma, and that he is taking oral medication. it is going down very slowly. yet he still talks of death. it hurts those who know incredibly. i just want to know everything i can about what he has. and i cant really ask anyone else. this appears as my only option. Is there anyway you can give me a short breakdown on what you think he might have and what are his chances etc?
Based strictly on what you've
Based strictly on what you've said thus far, it's still really difficult even to draw conclusions because while there is really only one Hodgkin's lymphoma, there are dozens of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. 50 or more. And the subtype really does say something about the particular disease.
That said, first off if I were you I would abandon the math you're doing regarding his months to live. When doctors tell cancer patients they think they have 'X months or years' to live, it's a very very inexact estimation, and any number of factors can change the prognosis.
As a 17 year old he would be considered part of the pediatric community (it sometimes includes people in their early 20s) which means that the odds are he has one of the four most common pediatric non-Hodgkin lymphomas:
Lymphoblastic lymphoma
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma
Or
Burkitt's lymphoma.
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma is the only one of these that is indolent, or slow-growing. The others, especially Burkitt's, are generally aggressive cancers that often demand treatment as soon as possible.
However, all these lymphomas are considered highly treatable if caught early, and in some cases even that doesn't matter, they're still treatable and sometimes curable. If he's been diagnosed and is taking an oral med (no idea what that could be) it means he's under a doctor's care, which is good.
Is that his reasoning for not telling his mother, that it might 'hurt' her? I guess it could, although keeping it from her will hurt her even more. Secrecy is a really f88king bad idea; he's not helping himself or the people he loves.
Ross
thankyou very much for
thankyou very much for everything you have done. i have found out the lymphoma is in his neck. i have felt for it, and i couldnt feel anything. he is still competing in track meets and like running a normal life. i am considering believing that he is actually not telling the truth and dealing with a psychological issue, that is, trying to make us (his support group of friend) understand and feel the pain that he went through when his dad died. by simulating this, he allows us to feel this pain. i cant speculate as he is being vague. but from the information i have read thus far (hours of research on internet) all the likely chances of him having cancer at all are very slim, its hard for me to think this as he is my best friend.....i am confused and dont know how to approach him. does anybody have any advice????