Types of Treatment for Lymphoma
Hodgkins and Non Hodgkins Lymphoma Treatments
The most appropriate treatment for lymphoma depend on many things like type of the cancer, its stage, its grade and a lot more. There are 3 standard treatments and other new options as well for both Hodgkins disease and Non Hodgkins lymphoma. An example of a fast-growing NHL cancer is B cell lymphoma which requires aggressive and combination of treatments.
What factors are considered in evaluating different treatments for lymphomas?
Treatment for lymphoma cancer depends on the . . .
1. Type - Is it Hodgkins or Non Hodgkins?
Since Non-Hodgkin is a more complicated and deadlier cancer, it requires more aggressive and combination of treatments. Standard treatments for Hodgkin include:
- chemotherapy,
- radiation, and
- surgery.
New types of treatments being tried right now for Hodgkin are chemo or radiation with stem cell transplant.
Treatments for Non-Hodgkin such as the B cell type, are radiation therapy, chemo with radiation, monoclonal antibody therapy with or without chemo, combination of chemo drugs and combination of chemo drugs with steroids. Keep in mind that a good B-cell lymphoma prognosis depends on a lot of things besides the recommended treatments.
2. Stage of your cancer - Is it stage 1, 2, 3 or 4?
Radiation is the recommended treatment for lymphoma at stages 1 and 2 because it can result to long term remissions and even cure. A combination of chemo and high dose of radiation treatments is usually the prescribed type of treatment for stage 3 or 4 low grade lymphoma.
3. Location of the cancer - Is it still localized or has it metastasized? A localized cancer requires different treatments compared to a metastatic cancer. Is it located on the skin? Cutaneous t cell lymphoma grows on the skin and so, it has treatments that are different.
4. Grade - Is it indolent, intermediate or aggressive? The aggressive type like the NHL needs immediate and combination of treatments.
5. Your age - Treatment for the adult type of cancer is different from the childhood type.
6. Your health condition - Any existing medical condition you have at the time of your diagnosis, such as pregnancy, is crucial in choosing the type of treatment.
7. Your symptoms - If you are pregnant and you are only experiencing mild symptoms of lymphoma, your doctor might put you in a waiting mode before recommending a treatment option.
In determining the best Hodgkins or Non Hodgkins disease treatment, 2 factors are very important -- the grade of tissue with the cancer and the stage of the disease.
What are the standard treatment options for most adult lymphomas?
The standard types of treatment for lymphoma include. . .
1. Chemotherapy - Drugs are used either to kill or to stop the cancerous cells from dividing. The treatment can be. . .
- systemic - chemo meds are taken orally or given intravenously so the drugs circulate throughout your system
- regional - the medicine is injected directly at your spinal cord, affected organ or through a body cavity like the abdomen
- combination - use of 2 or more chemo drugs.
2. Radiation - Low or high doses of radiation are directed at the exact location of the cancer and at nearby lymph nodes. This type of treatment can be internal or external.
3. Surgery - The procedure is known as laparotomy in which the cancerous organ or tissue is removed.
What is the treatment if you are pregnant and have lymphoma?
If you are pregnant and are experiencing only mild symptoms, the doctor may recommend to "wait and see" before recommending a specific treatment for lymphoma.
A "wait and see" is for prevention against hurting your baby. But if the cancer is aggressive, the following treatments are recommended:
1. Steroid treatment. The use of hormones that are either natural substances produced by your reproductive organs or adrenal glands or those that are made in a laboratory.
Some steroid medicines can help other treatments like chemotherapy work better and can also help the lungs of your baby to develop faster than normal.
2. Combination of chemo and radiation with stem cell transplant treatments. Since both chemo and radiation treatments can damage your healthy blood cells, stem cell transplant replaces those blood cells.
Are there new Hodgkins and Non Hodgkins lymphoma treatments?
Treatment options for both HL and NHL has improved during the past recent years. This has resulted to better lymphoma survival prognosis and statistics.
Some of the new forms of treatment being done are. . .
1. Bone marrow transplant - This is recommended if your cancer recurs after a treatment of chemo.
2. Biological treatments - The use of natural substances of your immune system for prevention of cancer progression. That's why you need to have a healthy immune system. Eating anti-inflammatory foods and taking immune system supplements can help.
See the facts about vitamin C and how it enhances your immune system.
Full recovery can be expected in 75% of HL cases after prescribed treatments.
There are also clinical trials being done as part of cancer research. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, you might consider participating in a clinical trial.
You, your family and your doctors should be all actively involved in choosing the best treatment for lymphoma.
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