Niven, 42, has been diagnosed with a BALT lymphoma.
'Hi, I'm a 42-year-old South African male residing in the beautiful city of Cape Town. I have always been very fit and a typical "outdoors" type. I have a wonderful, supportive wife and two lovely, sporting children.
'I was recently diagnosed (December 2004), via a biopsy, with BALT lymphoma in the lungs. BALT lymphoma is a low-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
'I suspect that I have had this for many years, as symptoms of fevers, sweats and bodily soreness gradually became more and more apparent. Eventually my lungs filled with fluid and had to be drained. Specialists suspected sinus problems (post-nasal), which led to major sinus operations. These had no effect, and eventually a CT scan and biopsy revealed cancer.
'I have had four chemotherapy sessions. But a recent CT scan showed no change. At my 5th chemo session, monoclonal antibody therapy was added, as this has been shown to break down the CD20 cell structure common to lymphoma.
'Oncologists tell me that I have a refractory cancer (stubborn) and that more aggressive treatment might be needed if the current treatment does not work. I have also read that BALT lymphoma is rare. But it's difficult to get more information on this disease and its prognosis. So I'm hoping to hear lots of stories from other people in this situation.'
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