Primary CNS Lymphoma Cancer ---AIDS Related Cancer

 CNS lymphoma or primary CNS lymphoma is a rare cancer that affect your central nervous system(CNS). The cancer may originate from your brain, spinal cord, spinal fluid or behind your eye. It can spread throughout your central nervous system quickly. Treatment options vary according to patient condition.

When lymphoma starts in the CNS and isn't found anywhere else in your body, it is called primary CNS lymphoma. If lymphoma is found in other parts of body, as well as, your CNS, it is called secondary CNS lymphoma. Secondary lymphoma starts in white blood cells called lymphocytes that are he part of your lymphatic system. Lymphatic system is an important part of immune system. It helps body to fight against infections and diseases.(For all types of cancer click here).

Symptoms:

Symptoms of CNS lymphoma depend upon the location of tumor, a mass of cancerous cells. For instance, CNS lymphoma won't cause symptoms if he tumor is located in the membranes covering brain and spinal cord(meninges). In contrast, tumor near one or both eyes often cause vision changes. If the mass occur near the area of your brain that control movement, you could have weakness or co-ordination changes.

Symptoms of CNS lymphoma includes:

• Nausea and vomiting.
• Weakness in your arms, leg or face.
• Weakness affecting on side of body.
• Hearing loss.
• Difficulty in swallowing.
• Signs of brain pressure(headaches, confusion).
• Vision problem(blurry vision, seeing double, floaters).
• Changes in your mental state(memory loss, trouble speaking, feeling sluggish).
• Seizures(that may become more frequent several days or weeks).
• Trouble controlling when you pee or poop(incontinence).

How is CNS lymphoma diagnosed?

Healthcare provider may adopt different methods to diagnose CNS lymphoma. Some of them are listed below:  

Exams:

Your healthcare provider may perform different kinds of exams to diagnose CNS lymphoma.

• Physical exam:  Your provider will assess your over health by examining your body and asking questions about your medical history, lifestyle and symptoms
• Neurological exam:   Your provider will perform neurological exam to check how your central nervous system functions. They may check your reflexes, movement, co-ordination and ability to process information and speak. 
• Exam eyes:  Your provider may perform various test to exam your eye to find tumors behind your eye which normally affect vision. A slit lamp examination is commonly used as a part of diagnosis of CNS lymphoma. During the procedure, your provider uses a special microscope called slit lamp to see parts of your eye magnified. They can also detect signs of tumors behind your eye, like swollen optic nerves.

Imaging Procedure:

Your healthcare provider may perform tests to see where cancer is located inside of your body. CNS lymphoma rarely spread beyond your central nervous system, but it may spread quickly through various parts of CNS.

• MRI:   An MRI(magnetic resonance imaging) uses magnets and radio waves to scan your body and produce a detailed image of your inside body inside computer. Your provider may give you a harmless substance called gadolinium by injection to make the cancer show up better. Once it's inside of your body, Gadolinium clusters around cancer cells, making them stand out more on computer.
• CT scan:   A CT scan(computerized tomography) uses X-ray to scan your body and produces a detailed image of the soft tissue and bones inside of your body. A CT scan may be used to show if the cancer has spread beyond your CNS or not.
• PET scan:   During a PET scan(positron emission tomography), you will receive an injection of radioactive tracer that travels through your body and collects near diseased cells. Meanwhile, a machine takes multiple images of the inside of your body. The tracer makes the cancer cells stand out in the images. Like a CT scan, your provider may order a PET scan to track cancer spread. Sometimes, the two procedures take place together and produce a three dimensional image(3D) that makes abnormal cells easier to see. This is called a PET-CT scan.