Learning About My Illness: What Is Spleen Cancer?
Thursday, December 14, 2017
When I first got sick and was told I might have either Leukemia or Lymphoma, I was very relieved. It could have been worse. Both cancers are treatable, and if managed well, patients can live for many years without the disease affecting their quality of life (well, except for the regular treatments and their side effects, monitoring, and the medical bills that pile up). I did shed a few tears here and there, and my first thought was, why me? But following that, I was really relieved that I didn't have the deadly cancers like brain cancer or bone cancer. It could have been worse, you know?
However, everything turned upside down when the official report of my spleen biopsy came out. (You can read about my spleen biopsy here: Biopsy Done. Was It Scary? ) It turns out I have Spleen Sarcoma. The report says it is High Grade, poorly differentiated, with highly increased mitotic activity. In other words, it was an aggressive type. The doctor told me that the only way to treat it is Surgery, where they remove the spleen, have it further analyzed to determine what type of Chemotherapy will be administered after the surgery. My doctor could not assure me of the success of treatment, but she did assure me the surgery will be done by the very best surgeons.
So what is Spleen Cancer? I am a nurse, but I have never encountered or even heard much about spleen cancer, let alone spleen sarcoma. So I turned to my best friend when it comes to research: Google (lol). That night after being diagnosed, I hunted for all possible information I could find regarding my illness. I learned that Spleen Sarcoma is super rare, accounting for only very few cases reported around the world. In fact, sarcomas, or basically any type of cancer that start in the spleen are so uncommon, that it was first believed that the spleen was highly refractory (resistant) to the formation of neoplasms (tumor growth). Usually, the spleen becomes malignant due to cancer cells migrating or spreading from a different origin (called metastasis), and this occurs with less frequency compared to other organs affected by metastasis (cancer spread). When cancer starts in the spleen, then it is considered primary spleen cancer, and it is most commonly attributed to the systemic disease process of Leukemia and Lymphoma, which is why my doctors suspected I have either one of them. In very rare cases, such as mine, it turned out to be Sarcoma.
The Spleen
The spleen's history is a very fascinating one. Ever heard of the expression "venting your spleen"? There is actually a basis for this expression. In the earlier times, the spleen was thought to be in charge of producing "Black Bile". In ancient Greek and Roman medicine, it was believed that there were 4 bodily fluids, called "Humors" that actively influence health and mood. One of them was the black bile. When the spleen produced too much black bile, it caused a person to be moody, angry or depressed. Thus the idiomatic expression "venting your spleen", which means to express your anger. Paradoxically, the spleen also purified the bile, and this is why the spleen is also associated with joy, bliss and laughter, giving way to expressions like "bust a spleen laughing".
As medicine began advancing, doctors realized that black bile and humors weren't responsible for health and temperament. It was actually bacteria, viruses, and chemical imbalances that made people sick. The spleen, no longer responsible for people's happiness or sadness, fell into oblivion. Hence, the "forgotten organ".
The spleen has been known to act as filter for blood cells. It filters old and dead blood cells in our body, kinda like a waste basket that separates these dead and damaged blood cells from the normal ones. However, this function is also done by the liver, and that is why back in the 1950's, when a person injures a spleen, doctors simply take it out and consider the problem solved. But as the technology progressed, it was later discovered that the spleen plays a significant role in the Immune System. It produces antibodies that fight infection. The spleen is actually part of our first line of defense against disease.
For this reason, doctors today no longer slash and cut the spleen except in life-threatening situations like massive bleeding and cancers. Splenectomy is the medical term for spleen removal. Vaccines like Pneumococcal, Meningococcal, Hepatis and Influenza are usually given before or after splenectomy to ensure the patient's immunity to certain types of infections.
But there's more. The spleen can do something remarkable that no other organ in our body is able to do: replicate itself. When spleen cells accumulate in enough quantities (for instance, after an injury where spleen cells are dispersed), they can form and grow into little spleens. There haven't been enough studies to conclude that these new spleens work the same way as the original spleen, but hey, having one is better than having no spleen at all.
As for me, if I can dodge surgery and be able to keep my spleen, then I will be forever grateful. As a nurse, I am often exposed to all kinds of infections in my working environment. Without a spleen, I will be at high risk for developing infections. Being vaccinated doesn't give people full protection so I don't fully trust them.
But if spleen removal means staying alive and beating my illness, then I guess I better prepare myself to say goodbye to my poor spleen. ♥
0 comments