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Non Hodgkin lymphoma and CFS/ME.

Messages
62
Location
Adelaide
Hello, I was diagnosed with CFS/ME almost 10 years ago now and my partner of 14 years has just been diagnosed with a form of NHL called follicular lymphoma, it is rare especially for a 38 year old man.

I recall reading from time to time about a link between ME/CFS and NHL and I can't help but wonder if this is just a coincidence or from the same cause whatever that may be?
 

Aileen

Senior Member
Messages
615
Location
Canada
I'm not so sure we can make that assumption. We know that different people have different risk factors for certain diseases due to unique gene profiles and whether or not certain genes we have are expressed or not. It may very well be that "X" might cause several disorders. One person may get cancer, someone else an autoimmune disease and a third a heart problem from the same agent.

For example, the Epstein Barr virus is best known for causing mono but it can also cause a cancer called Burkit's Lymphoma.

It would be very interesting if the following study was conducted:
1. Households having several members with different disorders are enrolled in the study.
2. Each member living there full time (including pets) has blood, urine, feces etc taken. Everything from every known bug, to genetic profiles, to chemicals in the blood etc tested for.
3. The home tested for things like mould, leaky appliances, chemical levels in the air...
4. Food diaries analysed.
5. Personal care products (soap, shampoo etc) and cleaning products compared to chemical levels in air and blood ...

Analyse all the data and who knows what connections might be revealed! Of course it would take a HUGE amount of money but I'd sure be interested in the results. I'm sure there would be some very big surprises.
 

PDXhausted

Senior Member
Messages
258
Location
NW US
I too am sorry to hear about your partner.

My husband is an MD that specializes in lymphoma diagnosis, though he is not an expert in CFS. I asked him this question, and he agreed that it is not common to get follicular lymphoma at age 38, he says usually older people get it. He says there is not a known infectious cause for follicular lymphoma like there are for some of the other lymphomas, but he believes that follicular lymphoma is usually a result of a chronic activation to the immune system, and said that is was within the realm of possibility that there is a specific infectious agent but that we don't know what it is yet.
 
Messages
62
Location
Adelaide
Thanks for your replies, being how its caused and how ME may come about I can't help but wonder. Also having 2 children they have the potential for having the same exposure as us. Even though he's symptom free I have been saying to him for some time that he is scaring me as sometimes he reminds me of me, this was prior to finding out he had NHL.