Hi My husband had a spinal tumor from undetected Activiated B Cell Lymphoma- is this common? He is now a paraplegic. What can people do to be more aware of this, if the only symptoms are a backache? Will I be able to care for him on my own or will I need help? Can I leave him home alone when I work?
Hi, Thanks for writing in. A spinal tumor from undetected Activated B cell lymphoma is known to occur in some patients. Back pain is the only symptom and this requires detailed investigation by imaging like MRI and PET scanning. Awareness is difficult by if a person has unexplained fever, night sweat and weight loss for two months then they should get detailed clinical examination done. If his tumor is staged and treatment started then it is likely that the tumor will respond and in many cases it can be cured. To know the exact situation in your husband, staging the condition is important and in early stages more than half the patients are completely cured. Those who show resistance to initial treatment with chemotherapy agents can be treated with second line chemotherapy. The decision to leave him alone while you are at work depends on how self-sufficient he is in helping himself with regular activities at home.