My uncle has diffuse large cell lymphoma?

I’m extremely close to my uncle. Since my dad left us when I was very young, he acted as my father figure, best friend, and beyond. My mother has just recently told me that my uncle, now in his 50s, was diagnosed with diffuse large cell lymphoma and had been fighting it ever since Winter of 2008. Currently he’s in critical condition, and is also battling a lung infection because his immune system has been completely destroyed by the cancer. Please, if you know anything about this type of lymphoma, tell me anything you know and what the chances of survival are. I can’t afford to lose him.

Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphomas (DLBCL)

A cancer of b-cells (lymphocytes) that normally reside in the lymphatic system.

The word “diffuse” describes the cell pattern. B-cells arise from the bone marrow and mature or differentiate into many cell types that tend to migrate to different areas of the body.

What is lymphoma? Briefly, lymphomas result when damage to DNA occurs to a type of white blood cell (a lymphocyte) that results in the abnormal production of proteins that prevents the cells from dying when they should, or causes sustained rapid cell division. These malignant cells then may accumulate to form tumors that may enlarge the lymph nodes or spread to other areas of the lymphatic system, such as the spleen or bone marrow. Lymphoma cells can also migrate to, or first appear, outside the lymphatic system. Lymphoma that presents outside the lymphatic system is called extranodal disease. For details, see What’s Lymphoma & Lymphoma simplified.

Initial presentation: DLBCL typically presents as a nodal or extranodal (outside the lymphatic system) mass with fast tumour growth associated with systemic symptoms, such as sweats, fatigue, and fever. In about 40% of cases, these lymphomas appear in areas outside lymph nodes, including digestive tract, skin, bone, thyroid, and testes.

Staging: Staging refers to the how widespread the disease is. Imaging tests (CT MRI, PET, Gallium) and bone marrow biopsies are commonly done to estimate this. See Staging for more detail.

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