Lymphoma Awareness Day: KIMS Expert In Bhubaneswar Advises Healthy Lifestyle Against Disease

Bhubaneswar: Medical experts advised the people having swelling of lymph nodes with symptoms like fever, anemia, jaundice and weakness to consult a specialist doctor as it might lead to lymphoma.

Speaking on the occasion of World Lymphoma Awareness Day (WLAD) on Thursday, Assistant Professor Dr Jogamaya Pattnaik of the Department of Medical Oncology, Kalinga Institute of Medical Sciences in Bhubaneswar said, “The diagnosis requires a biopsy and histopathology with a whole body scan and bone marrow tests. Once the diagnosis establishes that the patient is having lymphoma, the treatment is done mostly by chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy.’’

Early diagnosis and timely treatment are often rewarding in lymphoma, she added. Lymphoma is blood-related or hematological malignancy (uncontrolled growth of cells) and is an increasingly common form of cancer.

Dr Pattnaik said one has to fight obesity, adopt a good physical exercise regimen, intake healthy food and avoid red meat, salt and sugar to keep the disease away.

WLAD is observed on September 15 every year as the day is meant to create awareness of lymphoma. The theme of this year’s WLAD is “We Can’t-Wait to address the ways the pandemic has affected people living with lymphomas.”

It is a global initiative hosted by the Lymphoma Coalition which has 52 member nations. WLAD was initiated in 2004 to raise public awareness of the disease.

Lymphoma causes issues in the entire lymphatic system in a human being as it is also the germ-fighting network. The broad symptoms could be lymphatic node swelling, never-ending fatigue, night sweats, fever, difficulty in breathing and unexplained weight loss. The entire lymphatic system includes lymph nodes, spleen, thymus gland and bone marrow.