Barry suffered from severe back pain that was getting progressively worse and beginning to interfere with his daily life.  He was recovering from cardiac bypass surgery and has stenosis, a medical condition in which the spinal canal narrows and compresses the spinal cord and nerves.  But Barry couldn’t continue with his increasing pain, so he contacted his primary care physician.  Further testing revealed small nodules in his back, so Barry was sent for a biopsy.  Following the biopsy, he was referred to M. Ishaqe Memon, MD, an oncologist with Kishwaukee Cancer Care Center.  Barry had lymphoma, a form of cancer involving cells of the immune system.

Dr. Memon performed a marrow biopsy and ordered other diagnostic tests, including a PET scan to further diagnose the progression of Barry’s cancer.  Dr. Memon decided that chemotherapy would be the most effective treatment for Barry.  After the first cycle of chemotherapy, Barry reported a great improvement in his back pain.  The enlarged lymph nodes in his back had been pressing on the nerves in his back.  Dr. Memon’s use of chemotherapy had decreased the size of the lymph nodes, causing less discomfort. While Barry will continue to have spinal stenosis, his pain is far less and he has a greater quality of life. Barry will continue to follow-up with Dr. Memon in the future.

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