Only 6 answers on linfoma

What is linfoma?
Linfoma is a disease in which cancerous cells (you vitiate) are in the lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system is constituted by thin tubes that are ramifican, like the blood vessels, to all parts of the body. The lymphatic glasses transport lymph, a colorless, watery liquid, that contains white globules called lymphocytes.
Throughout the network of lymphatic glasses are small groups of organs in form of frijol calls lymphatic ganglia. Conglomerates of lymphatic ganglia exist, mainly, in the jaws, armpits, pelvis, the neck and the abdomen. The lymphatic ganglia produce and store cells that fight the infections. Also system forms part of lymphatic bazo (an organ which it is in the superior part of the abdomen whose function is the one to produce lymphocytes and to filter old globules of the blood), the thymus (a small organ underneath the breastbone) and the tonsils (an organ located in the throat).

Can the dogs and cats suffer linfoma?
He is neoplasia more frequent of the hemolinfático system (immune system) in canine and feline and the exact cause is not known at the moment.
It affects dogs, mainly adult and old, with certain racial predisposition, Boxer, Basset Hound, San Bernardo, Scottish Terrier and Bull Mastiff.

Which are the clinical symptoms and signs?
The initial presentation corresponds to the detection of a variable enlargement of one or several lymphatic ganglia, are firm and movable, instead of fixed, and they do not hurt.
The patient at first usually is in good state eral gene, without another symptom. After initial stage they appear a variety of symptoms that more specifically corresponds to the disease in general and to the place and organ affected like:

* Thinning
* Disfagia (it costs to him to swallow)
* Abdominal distension
* Hepatomegalia (increase of size of the liver)
* Esplenomegalia (increase of size of bazo)
* and abdominal effusion
Of more infrequent way he appears disnea, cough and intolerancia to the exercise. The chronic diarrea, chronic vomits are rare.
The appearance of cutaneous nodules is very infrequent safe in linfosarcoma cutaneous (variety of linfoma that affects the skin).
The most habitual presentation is the multicentric one with affectation of the lymphatic ganglia. Secondly of frequency it is the mediastínica presentation with affectation of the craneales mediastínicos ganglia, and frequently associated to hipercalcemia it vitiates (increase of calcium in blood).
Thirdly they are the extranodales presentations affecting diverse organs, eyeglasses, cutaneous, of the SNC, oral, renales and cardiac.

In the cats linfoma usually affects the digestive apparatus showing decay, general deterioration and a series of inespecíficos symptoms. In anyone of the presentations it can have infiltration of the bony marrow (metástasis)

How is arrived at the diagnosis?
Before the suspicion of linfoma, the diagnosis will take control of the biopsy (to see I articulate biopsy) of the greatest ganglion, because it can be that the ganglia satellites are not it jeopardize. It is fundamental to manage to determine the stage of the disease which we called CLINICAL ETAPIFICACIÓN. This is useful for the election of the treatment and fundamentally for the prognosis.
Etapificacion or stage of the disease will be done considering the clinical symptoms and signs, the biopsy and the following complementary methods: analysis of blood (hemograma), radiofrafias, ecografías, etc.

Whereupon treatments we counted in veterinary medicine?
Treatments for all and each one of the patients with linfoma exist, he himself depends on the etapificación, the age, the general state, the economic possibilities, etc?.
In general three types of treatment are used:

* Surgery
* Chemotherapy (the medicine use to eliminate cancerous cells and to reduce tumors)
* X-ray (the x-rays use of high energy or other rays of high energy to eliminate cancerous cells or to reduce tumors)

and the prognosis??
The prognosis is good single if it is arrived at more or less lasting remissions with the help of the chemotherapy and obtaining a good quality of life during the treatment, approximately the time of sobrelife is of 6 to 18 months in linfomas linfoblásticos and up to 6 months in linfoma histicítico.
Factors as hipercalcemia (increase of calcium in blood), infiltación of bony marrow and/or intolerancia to the treatment are of very bad prognosis. -

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