Building on My Story: Large Cell Lymphoma Fits the Chronic Illness Model
Yesterday, I wrote about my life or death struggle with lymphoma. Oddly enough, I have dug deep into many chronic illnesses, but not that one. So, yesterday I looked into large cell lymphoma and it fits the model. Check out the drawing. Repeatedly, this same core signaling is switched on inappropriately in cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and other chronic illnesses.
Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is inappropriately switched on in large cell lymphoma and mediates Ras/Raf/MAPK, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, and/or STAT3/5 pathways. The HGF receptor (HGFR) is involved in an intricate network of cross-signaling involving the HGFR-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), HGFR-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR), and HGFR-Wnt pathways has also been reported in the past few years. Therefore, large cell lymphoma involves multiple growth factors and any of these can be substituted in the purple box in the middle of the slide.
I originally made the slide to illustrate melanoma signaling in which sunlight activated HGF. VEGF is involved in ovarian cancer. EGFR is involved in breast, skin, and lung cancer. I think this signaling is important in virtually all chronic illnesses and more rapid aging.
This optimal medical therapy (OMT) study in high risk patients with stable heart artery disease makes the point. There were over 600 patients in the OMT group and the usual care group. Over a period of nearly five years, there were 12 OMT and 98 usual care cardiac-related deaths and 16 and 188 all-cause deaths respectively out of the 600 patients in each group. Over 10 times as many people died of all causes in usual care compared with those on OMT in about 5 years. OMT interventions in the green boxes tamp down the pathways that cause cardiovascular diseases, cancer, and other chronic diseases. This understanding makes it possible to prevent and treat chronic illnesses more precisely. This information is new for many of you. Please don’t hesitate to ask questions in the comment section.