NON HODGKINS LYMPHOMA - CLINICAL NEGLIGENCE
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is an umbrella term for a group of cancers that attack the body’s lymphatic system whereby lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell become cancerous. There are several types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma which is difficult to diagnose accurately and is also difficult to distinguish from Hodgkin’s lymphoma. In almost all types of cancer the key to a successful recovery is early detection and diagnosis. If a physician correctly identifies his patient’s condition as cancer and arrests it in its early stages, he may be able to affect a cure. However in the case of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma it is sometimes necessary to ‘wait and watch’ in order to distinguish one type from another due to the fact that different treatments may be called for dependent on the exact diagnosis.
A potential problem with the “wait and watch” scenario is that sometimes the oncologist waits too long to make a definitive diagnosis. Waiting is inevitable in dealing with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma because of the sheer complications involved in its diagnosis but this does not mean that the oncologist should take his time in handling a patient suffering from a form of this disease. Errors in diagnosis and aggravation of the condition resulting from unnecessary delays on the part of the oncologist may entitle the patient to claim compensation for medical negligence.
The symptoms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma include swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck, the armpit and in the groin area. Other symptoms may include unexplained fever, lack of appetite, severe weight loss, fatigue and the appearance of red, itchy patches on the skin.
Another reason why non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is hard to diagnose correctly is that oncologists need to differentiate if the lymphoma is aggressive or indolent. Aggressive lymphomas spread rapidly and produce really severe symptoms. Indolent lymphomas, on the other hand, grow a lot more slowly than aggressive lymphomas and cause only mild symptoms. The irony of this is that indolent lymphomas are hard to cure – they do not respond to chemotherapy.
Oncologists deal with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma by using treatments that are tailor-made to exactly fit the patient’s condition. In order to determine what treatment would be proper for the patient, a number of detection procedures are used. These procedures include but are not limited to X-rays, CAT scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and PET scan.
IMPORTANT NOTICE
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