What are the treatments available?
Many people with non-Hodgkin lymphomas can either be cured or stay in remission for many years. Complete remission is where there is no sign of the lymphoma. Partial remission is where the lymphoma shrinks down so that the person is well, does not have symptoms and does not need further treatment at that time.
Your doctor will plan your treatment by taking into consideration a number of things, including:
· the specific type of lymphoma you have
· your age
· your general health (including any other medical conditions)
· which parts of your body are affected
· the number of affected lymph nodes and whether other organs are affected.
If you have a slow-growing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma without symptoms, you may not require treatment for the cancer right away. You will be watched closely by your health-care team. These cancers might not require treatment for years, although close follow-up is necessary. If the indolent lymphoma produces symptoms, therapy will usually consist of chemotherapy and biological therapy. Stage I and II often require radiation therapy.
For an aggressive type of lymphoma, a combination of chemotherapy and biological therapy is usually indicated, and sometimes radiation therapy will be added.
If treatment is required, there are several options that are utilized alone or in combination:
(A) Chemotherapy
This is a drug treatment either as an injection or oral form that kills cancer cells. This treatment can involve one medication or multiple medications and be given alone or in conjunction with other therapies. This therapy is given in cycles, alternating treatment periods and non treatment periods. The repetition of these cycles and the number of cycles will be determined by your oncologist based on the staging of your cancer and the medications used. Chemotherapy also harms normal cells that divide rapidly. This can lead to hair loss, GI symptoms, and difficulty with your immune system.
(B) Radiation therapy
High doses of radiation are used to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. This modality can be used alone or in conjunction with other therapies. Side effects usually depend on the type and dosage of the therapy as well as the area undergoing radiation therapy. Universally, patients tend to get tired during radiation therapy, especially toward the later stages of treatment.
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Radiotherapy [25] |
(C) Stem cell transplant
This procedure allows you to receive large doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy to kill the lymphoma cells that might not be killed with standard levels of therapy. This therapy is used if your lymphoma returns after treatment. For this therapy, you need to be admitted to the hospital. After the therapy, healthy stem cells (that were either taken from you before the therapy or from a donor) are injected to form a new immune system.
(D) Biological drugs
These are medications that enhance your immune system's ability to fight cancers. In NHL, monoclonal antibodies are used for treatment. The therapy is administered via an IV, and the monoclonal antibodies bind to the cancer cells and augment the immune system's ability to destroy cancer cells. Rituximab (Rituxan) is such a drug used in the treatment of B cell lymphoma. Rituximab attaches to a protein called CD20 that is found on the surface of B lymphocytes, both normal and cancerous. Rituximab stimulates the body’s natural defences to attack and destroy the lymphocytes. It attacks some healthy B lymphocytes (white blood cells), as well as the lymphoma cells. However, the body can replace the healthy ones and, once the treatment has ended, the level of these cells in the blood will return to normal. Rituximab is given as a drip (infusion) into a vein, and can be used in different ways. It is sometimes given in combination with CVP chemotherapy, as the first treatment for some types of low-grade NHL. It may also be given on its own as four, weekly sessions if low-grade NHL comes back after previous treatment. If rituximab works well to treat low-grade NHL it is sometimes used on its own as maintenance therapy, for up to two years. As treatment for high-grade NHL, rituximab is usually given alongside CHOP chemotherapy. Side effects for this treatment are usually flu-like symptoms. Rarely, a person can have a severe reaction, including a drop in blood pressure or difficulty breathing.[16]
(E) Radio immunotherapy medications
These are made of monoclonal antibodies that transport radioactive materials directly to cancer cells. Because the radioactive material is traveling and binding directly to the cancer cell, more radiation is delivered to the cancer cell and less to the normal tissue. Ibritumomab (Zevalin) and tositumomab (Bexxar) are two drugs approved for this use in lymphomas. Side effects usually include getting very tired or experiencing flu-like symptoms.
(F) Additional aspects of cancer treatments
In addition to medical therapies, patients will also require supportive care. You should have the opportunity to learn about your disease and the treatment options and discuss this with your care team. Most cancer centers will have support groups where you can share your concerns with other patients and learn from their experiences.
Some patients find moderate physical activity helpful. You should discuss with your doctor what kind of activities are appropriate.
Eating the appropriate amounts of foods, as well as the right foods, is an important part of your treatment. Speaking with a nutritionist can be very helpful.
In addition, vitamin deficiencies (especially vitamin D) have recently been linked to worse survival in some subgroups of cancer patients. Patients should discuss their nutritional requirements with their health-care team.
Appropriate caloric intake is important especially if nausea is present as a result of your treatments. Some people find that exercise can help their nausea during therapy. Acupuncture has also shown to decrease the side effects of cancer treatments.
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| Treatments for non-hodgkin's lymphoma. [26] |
