Lester tested for Cancer

[jsinger121]

http://redsox.bostonherald.com/redSox/view.bg?articleid=155250

 

I pray that Lester is ok.

[User Name]

That's horrible....

 

God, the Sox are in shambles.

[MC Hammer]

Horrible News. Hopefully it's not cancer.

[Bostons_Finest]

WTFFFF wow... the curse is back.

[Bostons_Finest]

idk wtf happen

all these injuires is small amount of time

loretta -quad

gonzo-back

manny-knee

willy mo-wrist

papi-heart

clement-shoulder

wakefield-back

coco-shoulder

nixon-ribs

veritek-knee

lester-cancer

[KeepTheFaith1229]

wow, this is just horrible.

[schillingouttheks]

Oh my God. Prayers go out to Lester and his family.

[yeszir]

Oh damn. Hopefully nothing's wrong with the guy. Putting baseball aside for a second, cancer is terrible. Hopefully it's nothing, but if it is indeed cancer, hopefully they caught it soon enough.

[ksushi]

This doesn't mean he has cancer. I was tested for cancer earlier in the year, its scary, but it could be so many things. Hopefully it is not cancer.

[RoyNHSox]

Swollen lymph nodes can be a sign of infection, or something like mono, or in the worst case lymphoma cancer like Hodgkins Disease. The fact the Tony Mazz was told that he’s being tested for cancer, and he reported it as such, makes me think the worst. God I hope I’m wrong and I wish Jon Lester all the best.

[Mr Crunchy]

wheres the banned med student when you need him??

anyways

its a precaution,it isnt cancer as of yet

we(i for sure) whine about the lost season yet something like this puts things in a different lite

[rician blast]

wheres the banned med student when you need him??

anyways

its a precaution,it isnt cancer as of yet

we(i for sure) whine about the lost season yet something like this puts things in a different lite

 

While it is precautionary and way too early to think the worst, that wouldn't stop the site's resident "expert" from going into great detail to explain the possibilities...if he were not banned.

 

BBDoc would go into a bit where he says it could be Hodgkins, which is a cancer that starts in lymphatic tissue, or the tissue which includes the lymph nodes and related organs that are part of the body's immune and blood-forming systems and that Hodgkin's is among the most treatable forms of cancer and that Mairo Lemieux had Hodgkin's and recovered to play in the NHL again after treatment.

 

He'd then go on to tell us that if it were Non-Hodgkins lymphoma the situation would be much worse and that these 2 types of lymphoma can usually be distinguished from each other by examining the cancerous tissue under a microscope and we'd have to await the results of a biopsy.

 

(FYI, my Dad had both, thus my familiarity with the diseases...not making light of the situation, but shedding light).

 

He'd then close the "WebMD" website and post some annoying response to someone's post. All ball-busting aside, I sincerely do hope that Mr. Lester is ok....baseball don't mean sh*t when it comes to issues like this.

[a700hitter]

Swollen lymph nodes can be a sign of infection, or something like mono, or in the worst case lymphoma cancer like Hodgkins Disease. The fact the Tony Mazz was told that he’s being tested for cancer, and he reported it as such, makes me think the worst. God I hope I’m wrong and I wish Jon Lester all the best.

There has been a lot of mono going around. A bad case of mono can be very debilitating, but it's much better than cancer. When I first heard about the swelling under his arms, I got a bad feeling. Hopefully, they rule it out quickly. THe kid must be freaking out.

[rician blast]

There has been a lot of mono going around. A bad case of mono can be very debilitating, but it's much better than cancer. When I first heard about the swelling under his arms, I got a bad feeling. Hopefully, they rule it out quickly. THe kid must be freaking out.

 

A Tito interview was on NESN this a.m.

 

Y aknow what? He's a real good guy, very sincere, cares about the players...its not a line of s*** when he says how he feels.

 

He said "out of respect for John and his family" he wouldn't discuss what sort of testing was being done, and said hopefully in a few days they'd have very good news to report.

 

Not sure how much to read into that last comment...it sounds like he could be insinuating that this thing is tracking toward something less serious...but who knows...just gotta keep hoping the kid is alright.

[RedSoxRooter]

Lester has been diganosed with Anaplastic large cell lymphoma

[ksushi]

aniplastic large cell lymphoma. I know its cancer, but what exactly is it. I hope he pulls out of this. Christ, you never expect something like this to happen. I've got a friend who died of cancer this past year and when it happens to someone so young I think its harder for everyone to swallow. If you pray, you should pray for anyone with a disease like cancer.

[jsinger121]

http://www.boston.com/sports/baseball/redsox/extras/extra_bases/2006/09/lester_update_1.html

 

Everyone who said the guy was sucking should apologize to him for what he is going through and likely was pitching with it and gutted it out for the team.

[example1]

Lester has been diganosed with Anaplastic large cell lymphoma

 

f***. That doesn't sound good at all.

[example1]

Baseball aside, my thoughts go out to the Lester family and I hope for a speedy and full recovery. Fortunately he's young and in very good shape.

[schillingouttheks]

Wow. Best of luck to Lester, and I pray that he pulls through. He's got the support of all of Red Sox Nation along with, I'm sure, the rest of baseball fans around the world. Doesn't matter what team you play for, when it's something like this the uniform doesn't mean much.

[RedSoxRooter]

It's really hard to find out anything insightful about it on the internet - well, about a treatment anyway. It sounds like they caught it early. I have no idea what this means to his career, but it sounds like if treated he has a success rate of about 80%.

 

Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL)

Disease Site:

Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma is a type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is cancer that starts in the lymphatic tissue. The main types of cells involved in anaplastic large cell lymphoma are white blood cells called T cells and null cells.

 

There are lymph nodes in various parts of the body. Lymph nodes produce and store lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that fights infection. The 2 main types of lymphocytes are T cells and B cells. Lymphocyte that does not contain the receptors of either mature B cells or T cells is called null cell. When these cells undergo changes and do not behave in the normal manner, lymphoma may result.

 

Lymphomas are divided into two large groups: Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Anaplastic large cell lymphoma is classified under non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In anaplastic large cell lymphoma, the cancer cells are mainly of T cell and null cell types. Some HIV-related cases involve B cells.

 

Incidence:

It accounts for about 2% of lymphomas, but represents 12% of childhood lymphomas. Patients are often young when they go to see the doctor for the disease, and it is more common in male.

 

Predisposing Factors:

 

The exact cause is unknown.

 

It is more common in male.

 

Genetic changes may be present. In some patients, there is an overexpression of a protein called anaplastic lymphatic kinase (ALK); in other words, an excessive amount of ALK is shown on the cells.

 

Natural History:

The disease progresses very quickly to an advanced stage. Approximately half of the patients are diagnosed when the disease is at an early stage (Stage I or II), but the remainding half are diagnosed when the disease is at an advanced stage.

 

The staging of the disease is according to:

 

Stage I: when the disease involves only one lymph node region or lymphatic structure.

Stage II: when it involves 2 or more lymph node regions on the same side of the diaphragm (either above or below the diaphragm).

Stage III: when the disease involves 2 or more lymph node regions on both sides of the diaphragm.

Stage IV: when there is involvement of body structures outside the lymph nodes.

 

Prognosis:

The survival rate is high, with it being the best among those of all the aggresive lymphomas. The 5-year survival rate is more than 70%.

 

Patients with tumours cells overexpressing the protein called ALK (demonstrating ALK on the tumour cell surface) have a better outlook of the disease.

 

Investigation:

The doctor will draw some blood to look at a number of things. The number, shape, size and other features of the blood cells will be examined under the microscope. The blood taken may also be used to look at the liver and kidney function.

 

A urine test may be done.

 

Treatment Overview:

The initial treatment should be a combination chemotherapy regimen, the most popular one being the CHOP regimen (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone).

Radiotherapy may be needed following chemotherapy.

 

Recent research showed that combining chemotherapy with a type of transplantation called autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) produces good outcome - patients have a 5-year survival rate of over 85%.

 

Most patients, especially those who show ALK on the tumour cell surface, have good response to treatment and high survival rate.

 

[ksushi]

My girlfriends mom had Non Hodgkins Lymphoma and she no longer has any sensation under her arms and around her shoulders as a result of the treatment. His career might be over. His career should be the farthest thing from anyones mind for a while until we know he is out of the woods. Lets just hope he pulls through. He's a kid.

[a700hitter]

This is just too sad for words. This kid makes it to the major leagues and in a few short weeks later is literally in a fight for his life and health. The automobile accident may have been a blessing in disguise. Had it not been for the accident and the resulting bad back they might not have found it until it was at a later stage. A similar thing happened to my sister in law. She hurt her knee and when she went for her pre-op they found something on her chest x-ray. It turned out to be small cell lung cancer, a particularly deadly form of cancer that doesn't become symptomatic until it is too late. The knee injury saved her life, because her doctor from Sloan Kettering told us that they rarely find that type of cancer at such an early stage. She was treated and has been cancer-free for over two years.

[ksushi]

Your sister is very very lucky. Thats really amazing.

[greenwell39]

My thoughts and prayers are definitely with Lester and his family at this time. I think Lester's car accident was a blessing in disguise. Who knows how long this would have gone undetected had that not happened.

[a700hitter]

Your sister is very very lucky. Thats really amazing.

Hopefully, Lester's condition was also found early and he'll be completely cured.

[greenwell39]

This is just too sad for words. This kid makes it to the major leagues and in a few short weeks later is literally in a fight for his life and health. The automobile accident may have been a blessing in disguise. Had it not been for the accident and the resulting bad back they might not have found it until it was at a later stage. A similar thing happened to my sister in law. She hurt her knee and when she went for her pre-op they found something on her chest x-ray. It turned out to be small cell lung cancer, a particularly deadly form of cancer that doesn't become symptomatic until it is too late. The knee injury saved her life, because her doctor from Sloan Kettering told us that they rarely find that type of cancer at such an early stage. She was treated and has been cancer-free for over two years.

 

How wonderful that your sister-in-law has been doing well over the past 2 years. I guess we both had the same idea about the accident being a blessing in disguise...we must have been typing at the same time!

[Optimist]

Wow, I'm shocked at this news. Hopefully Lester will be okay and be able to return to a normal, healthy life.

[Sox Fan on Cape]

Wow, I'm shocked at this news. Hopefully Lester will be okay and be able to return to a normal, healthy life.

If the prognosis is correct, forget baseball, he's in a battle for his life. I wish him all the best.

[ahhchon]

mark my words, john lester will pitch again.

 

70-80% recovery is fantastic with cancer. my grandmother has cancer, though it has made her a hemiplegic, destroyed her voice and gave her a .001% chance of survival 2 months ago she has fought through multiple chemo sessions and will continue to fight it to her last breath.

 

if a 77 old lady can take a .001% chance to 2+ months and going strong, knock on wood, lesters 22 year old body with a 70-80% chance and being a tumerous cancer is going to be fine.

 

look at it this way, they caught it at an early stage, they caught it at his strongest point in life, they caught it at an early age. he's being seen by doctors at dana-farber ( 2 min walk from my place, friends work there, gf works at brigham womens next door) is definately looking good for him. he'll be pitching again in the majors in about 2 years.

 

john