What is brain lymphoma, the disease that Raphael suffers from?

He singer Raphael was hospitalized last Tuesday, December 17, after suffering an alleged stroke. This Thursday, they confirmed that the 81-year-old artist suffers from brain lymphoma. He was admitted to the 12 de Octubre Hospital in Madrid after feeling unwell during the recording of the Christmas special of The Revolt.

According to the report, the singer “presents a primary brain lymphoma with two brain nodules in the left hemisphere that justify the neurological symptoms that he presented a few days ago.

What is brain lymphoma

Brain lymphoma, also known as primary brain lymphoma or primary central nervous system lymphoma, It is a rare and very aggressive non-Hodgkin’s cancer. It originates in the lymphatic tissue (white blood cells) of the brain or spinal cord and can also be found in the eyes. This type of cancer It can be treated effectively and even cured if detected early.

Central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma can be “primary” or “secondary.”

• Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system It is a lymphoma that begins in the central nervous system and does not grow elsewhere when it is diagnosed. It usually develops in the brain, but can also affect the eyes (called intraocular lymphoma).
• Secondary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma is a lymphoma that starts elsewhere in the body and spreads to the CNS. This includes lymphoma that comes back in the CNS after treatment. Secondary CNS lymphoma usually develops in the brain, but can sometimes grow in the protective tissues that cover the brain and spinal cord (the meninges).

Treatment of primary central nervous system lymphoma is usually administered in two phases:

• The ‘remission induction therapy’ It aims to attack all the lymphoma that can be seen in the scans to achieve remission.
• The ‘consolidation therapy’ It aims to destroy any lymphoma cells that are left, prevent the lymphoma from coming back, and help keep it under control for as long as possible.

You may first be given steroid treatment to help reduce the size of the lymphoma and the swelling around it. This helps relieve symptoms while you are having tests and before starting main treatment. However, doctors try not to give you steroids until they have done a biopsy because they can affect the result.

How common is CNS lymphoma?

CNS lymphoma is rare. In the United States, only about 1,500 new cases of central nervous system lymphoma are diagnosed each year. It occurs more frequently in people over 50 years of ageand the average age of diagnosis is 65 years, being slightly more common in men. People with HIV, AIDS, and other immunodeficiencies are more likely to be diagnosed with CNS lymphoma.

Like other types of lymphoma, central nervous system lymphoma forms when cells in lymph tissue begin to behave abnormally. They multiply uncontrollably and outcompete healthy cells. In central nervous system lymphoma, the cells that begin to grow abnormally are usually white blood cells (lymphocytes) called B cells.

Researchers aren’t sure what causes a lymphocyte to turn into a cancer cell. Even so, have identified factors that may increase the risk of central nervous system lymphoma.

The researchers report on the survival rates of cancer by tracking how many people with a certain cancer diagnosis are still alive after a certain time, usually five years. The five-year survival rate for people with central nervous system lymphoma under age 70 is 30%. The survival time for people over 70 years of age is six to seven months.

However, these figures are general and do not take into account other specific factors that affect the prognosis. For example, outcomes are usually better if you do not have a compromised immune system or if the lymphoma has not spread beyond the brain. Survival rates also do not take into account the impact that new treatments may have on life expectancy.