Mesothelioma patients and their families have all heard their medical providers use the term lymph nodes. Cutting through all the complex medical jargon can be difficult so understanding how lymph nodes actually factor into your diagnosis is a completely different story. We’ve parsed through an article by the cancer society to put together a little cheat sheet on what you need to know about the lymphatic system.
Lymph vessels: These are like veins except instead of carrying blood they carry lymph
Lymph: is a clear watery fluid that carries waste products away from your veins and tissues. Lymph als carries oxygen and other nutrients to the cells.
Lymph nodes: filter that lymph fluid to prevent infection and viruses from spreading throughout the body.
Lymphatic system: Is made up of the 500-800 nodes including tonsils, adenoids, spleen and thymus, and the vessels that carry the lymph.
Lymph Nodes and Cancer
The lymphatic system filters out contaminants before they hit the blood stream. Sometimes lymph nodes can catch stray cancer cells and trap them in the lymph nodes. This always presents a danger that the lymphatic system may be compromised by the cancer cells and spread to each node.
When the cancer hits a local lymph node that signals that the cancer is at stage 3 and but when the cancer spreads to distant nodes that signals the cancer is at stage 4.
To read more about the lymphatic system check out the American Cancer Society’s full article here.
The Paul Law Firm advocates for victims of asbestos-related diseases. If you or a loved one is suffering from mesothelioma, call the Paul Law Firm. With over 2.5 billion dollars collected for victims of asbestos exposure, we have the knowledge and the experience to fight for you. We also understand that fighting doesn’t just happen in the courtroom. It also happens in a lab where we are fighting for a cure. Check out the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America here.
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