Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Treatment

Medication sample (Diane Reid, NCI)

Treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphomas (NHL) differs from patient to patient. The regimen used depends on the type of NHL, the stage, and whether the disease is aggressive or indolent. The following is a list of typical treatments:

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is the use of cytotoxic (cell damaging) medicines to target and kill tumors. The drugs work by interrupting the DNA of fast-growing cells, preventing them from growing or reproducing. Chemotherapy can lead to a variety of side effects. For more information, click here.

Radiation

Radiation therapy uses high doses of X-rays, gamma rays, or other types of ionizing (damaging) radiation to kill cancer cells. It may be applied to the whole body or to a specific zone. For more information on radiation and its side effects, click here.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy uses the body’s own immune system to attack and remove cancer cellsDoctors inject a patient with a special type of antibody, or cell marker, that binds to antigens on a cell’s surface. For more information on immunotherapy, click here.

Radioimmunotherapy (radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies)

Radioimmunotherapy combines monoclonal antibody therapy with radioactive isotopes. Though it was developed in the 1980's, radioimmunotherapy is just now beginning to gain widespread acceptance. In the United States, it has been approved by the FDA for treatment of certain types of refractory lymphoma / relapsed lymphoma. The Zevalin® regimen has been approved by the FDA as a first-line treatment of certain follicular lymphoma patients.

Bone marrow transplantation

Join the online Non-Hodgkin's and Hodgkin's Lymphoma Support Groups for free and talk to others who are facing the same challenges you are.

For patients with very advanced disease, extremely high does of chemotherapy may be needed. This type of chemotherapy wipes out the body’s entire immune system, including the bone marrow that produces blood cellsSo, patients need a bone marrow transplant in order to recover. Click here for more information on bone marrow transplantation.

Watch and Wait

This treatment option is used for patients with indolent, low-grade cancers in the early stages. In some cases, early stage cancers don’t respond well to treatment, so it’s more efficient to wait until the cancer has progressed to a treatable stage before prescribing chemotherapy and radiation. For more information on this treatment approach, click here.

Clinical Trials

New treatment methods are always being researched. If you wish to take part in a clinical trial, talk to your doctor.

These individual therapies may be combined for optimum treatment. Chemotherapy is often given in combination with radiation for advanced cancers, and some B-cell and T-cell cancers are treated with chemo and immunotherapy.

Treatment Resources

• Patients who are looking for more advanced treatment or who have lymphoma that does not respond to standard treatment may want to consider a clinical study. Click here to find clinical trials in your area.

Related NHL Treatment Pages

• Radiotherapy / Radiation Therapy information and resources section
• Information on Blood Counts
• Bone Marrow / Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant Information Page
• Monoclonal Antibody Therapy
• Treanda
• Rituxan
• Bexxar
• Zevalin

For more information on Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, please see the following pages:

• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Chemotherapy
• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Resources
• Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplants
• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Diagnosis
• Lymphoma Classification and Types
• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Aggressive NHLs
• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Indolent NHLs
• Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Introduction