Treatment of Lymphomas

The treatment of lymphomas depends on the stage and type of disease, the individual’s age and general health, whether the cancer is aggressive or indolent (slow growing) and whether the lymphoma is newly diagnosed or has returned.

Both Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma may be treated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, monoclonal antibody therapy (used in non-Hodgkin lymphoma), or high-dose chemotherapy combined with bone-marrow or stem-cell transplantation.

Monoclonal antibody therapy is a treatment that uses antibodies (types of proteins) produced in a lab to kill cancer cells, block their growth or prevent them from spreading. These antibodies are given by infusion, and they may be used by themselves or as agents to carry drugs, radioactive material or toxins to cancer cells.

High-dose chemotherapy combined with bone-marrow or stem-cell transplantation is used for patients with very advanced cancers. The extremely high doses of chemotherapy wipe out the body’s entire immune system and then a bone-marrow or stem-cell transplant is given to rescue the immune system afterwards.

Another treatment option is to “watch and wait.” This option is for patients with slow-growing cancers in early stages of development. Some early stage lymphomas do not progress rapidly, so it’s better to wait until the cancer has progressed before giving chemotherapy or radiation therapy.