Did your lymphoma go away after being cured with DAAs?

[KimInTheForest]

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) has a close association with Hepatitis C. Rates of this cancer are 2-3 times higher in Hep C people than in the general population.

I would be interested in hearing from any of you who entered Hep C treatment with a diagnosed case of NHL. Did your NHL go away after being cured of Hep C with the new direct-acting antivirals (DAAs)?

One of the advocated methods for treating NHL in Hep C people (at least back in the Interferon days) has been to cure the Hep C and see if the lymphoma goes away, as it apparently does in many cases.

However, the recent news last month about liver cancer manifesting in Hep C patients while on treatment with the new DAAs (or shortly after finishing) has got me wondering whether the new miracle drugs for Hep C could also accelerate the development of other low-grade cancers in the body such as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which can sometimes be present for years without any disturbing symptoms.

The scientists who reported on the increase in liver cancer hypothesize that the new DAAs for Hep C inadvertently turn off the body's immune surveillance system (the system by which our body keeps cancer under control) by reducing inflammation so quickly. The scientists were only looking at cirrhotic Hep C patients with pre-existing liver cancer for this study. But if their hypothesis is correct, I don't see why this shut-down of the body's immune surveillance wouldn't also affect other low-grade cancers lurking in the body (e.g., NHL). They weren't gathering data on other cancers.

So who had NHL before Hep C treatment, and what happened after you were cured...? Or did anyone here get diagnosed with NHL shortly after treatment (if you feel like sharing)? Thanks.

And have a great May Day, everyone!

kim

[ricpark]

I now see your post after I responded to your PM. I have not been keeping up on the forum, dealing with life.
rich

[Luna7]

Kim are you worried you might have or had lymphoma with those night sweats and fever you mentioned awhile back?

I have a lump on my leg I need to have checked out.

I wasn't happy to discover that one of the excipients in my medication is a possible carcinogen!  (titanium dioxide)
  http://www.ccohs.ca/headlines/text186.html

Maybe it's only a carcinogen in Canada tho so I need not worry ;0

[KimInTheForest]

I have been quite unwell and semi-disabled for the past 9 months since finishing my 12-week course of Harvoni/ribavirin (which cured me of Hep C).

I am going in to my GP again this Friday, and I continue to have monthly blood tests doing a full CBC and serum ferritin check (since that has been so low). But my GP has been as stumped as I have been up to this point.

I know I have periodically said here that I am better, that's it's all behind me. But each recurrence shows me that it isn't. I could scarcely get out of bed yesterday. My life and happiness (and income) are falling apart because of this. There is some disease process at work in my body. I have not returned to the level of health and functionality I had before starting treatment 1 year ago this month. Many days I can barely take out the garbage.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) is the one thing that would explain ALL of my symptoms.

These are my symptoms these past 9 months (and one going back years). Every one of these symptoms is listed on various lists of NHL symptoms. (Yes, I know that isn't conclusive in and of itself. I would be grateful if the invalidators would think before typing.)

•   high fever, sometimes with chills
•   drenching night sweats
•   extreme fatigue
•   numerous enlarged lymph nodes during & post-treatment
•   some permanently enlarged lymph nodes going back years
•   low iron & hemoglobin that won’t rebound after 8 months of iron supps & meat
•   shortness of breath
•   dry cough since mid-treatment that won’t go away
•   unusual itching
•   lymphocytosis (noted by pathologist 14 weeks post-treatment)
•   pancytopenia (noted by pathologist 31 weeks post-treatment)
•   low platelet count since mid-treatment up to present

So that is why I would be interested in hearing from anyone who had NHL going into treatment, or who developed it post-treatment.

Thanks!
kim

[FutureThinker]

Hey Kim -- I don't know much about NHL, but your fevers do concern me (and I imagine your doctor).  How about getting a second opinion?  Perhaps at an academic facility?  Sometimes more heads are needed to figure out these types of situations. 

Give it some thought.  FT

[Luna7]

I hope you can find out what's going on and start to feel better soon, Kim!

[Bob V]

Good luck Kim.

BTW I agree with FutureThinker, if you can get second opinion.