Lymphoma and oral tissue involved

Hello @baldhead5 Welcome to Connect. With Follicular lymphoma there can be some oral involvement with swelling in the soft tissue of the tonsils, palate, buccal mucosa, gums and tongue. So it is possible that this is related to your FL diagnosis. The only way to know for certain is with that biopsy you just had done. How are you feeling after that? I know surgery in the mouth can be painful for a few days.

There are several members in the forum who have also been diagnosed with follicular lymphoma. I’m posting a couple links below of current discussions where you’ll meet members, @valandsheri @vonbaron36 @bogie60 @lee59 @susanlim @caracello22 and others who have FL and have undergone treatment for this slowly developing form of cancer.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/starting-bendamustine-and-rituxin-for-follicular-lymphoma/
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Follicular Lymphoma: looking to connect with others
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/follicular-lymphoma-at-age-44/
How long ago were you diagnosed? Are you currently in treatment?

I am clear of FL; chemo ended 12/2021. Scans are repeated every 6 months. . Unfortunately, the mouth problem is medication related necrosis of the jaw. No treatment except a long course of antibiotics was done. I also have bad vertigo from osteoporosis. Thin bone between brain and ears. I declined meds for osteoporosis ; one leads to bone sarcoma; I didn’t know one can break ( 3 vertebra) without a fall. Yes, you can.

Hello, I also have FL just finished my six rounds of B/R and six weeks after I have developed gum issues. I just had a biopsy of my gums. My oncologist never mentioned this issue could also be due to FL. Will the biopsy show this? Also, do you believe it’s the chemo and radiation the inflamed the gums or his FL? I was told that I am NED currently.

Good morning, @pfarris123. The good news is that you’ve been told you currently have no evidence of disease (NED) after your rounds of treatment. Whether or not this new development in your gums is related to treatment or FL, is why your doctor recently took a tissue biopsy from the inflamed area. They want to rule out any FL involvement. Waiting for those results feels like forever, doesn’t it?

Having been in the dental field for my entire career, and also personally having received many rounds of intense chemo, I know first hand the side effects that chemo, meds and radiation can have on oral tissues. So try to stay optimist that this is a residual side effect of your treatment.

Did you tolerate the Bendamustine and Rituxin well?

Thank you for the reply. Yes, I had no issues with the drugs; however, I did have a DRESS reaction to Allopurinol they gave me for my first treatment. I’m recovered from that, too! They want me to do maintenance in two weeks but my WBC is low and they are rechecking in another week. I wasn’t sure if this was bc of augmentin or FL.

Hi @baldhead5, I add my welcome. What did you learn from the biopsy of your gums? Have you met with your oncologist/hematologist to discuss?

Thank you for responding. I do not have lab results yet and I will see my oncologist on Monday. I’ll update after that.

The biopsy revealed the tissue problem is a manifestation of the lymphoma. No treatment is required, whew, but I’m curious to know whether this is going to be an ongoing problem, ie more oral involvement? Am I likely to see other places affected by lymphoma? I’m feeling pretty well overall. Lab results are mostly normal. Thank you for your help.