- Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is usually the main treatment. A combination of chemotherapy drugs is usually given along with targeted therapy.
- Targeted therapy. Targeted therapy may be offered for some types of aggressive B-cell lymphomas. Rituximab is the targeted therapy given most often.
- Radiation therapy. Some people may be offered external beam radiation therapy. It is called involved field radiation therapy (IFRT) because it is given to areas where the NHL is found.
Full Answer
What are the treatments for lymphoma?
Lymphoma treatments include: Active surveillance. Some forms of lymphoma are very slow growing. You and your doctor may decide to wait to treat your lymphoma when it causes signs and symptoms that interfere with your daily activities. Until then, you may undergo periodic tests to monitor your condition.
How is active surveillance used to treat lymphoma?
Active surveillance. Some forms of lymphoma are very slow growing. You and your doctor may decide to wait to treat your lymphoma when it causes signs and symptoms that interfere with your daily activities. Until then, you may undergo periodic tests to monitor your condition.
What questions should I ask my doctor about lymphoma?
For lymphoma, some basic questions to ask your doctor include: Do I have lymphoma? What type of lymphoma do I have? What stage is my lymphoma? Is my lymphoma aggressive or slow growing? Will I need more tests? Will I need treatment? What are my treatment options? What are the potential side effects ...
What tests are done to diagnose lymphoma?
Removing a sample of bone marrow for testing. A bone marrow aspiration and biopsy procedure involves inserting a needle into your hipbone to remove a sample of bone marrow. The sample is analyzed to look for lymphoma cells. Imaging tests. Your doctor may recommend imaging tests to look for signs of lymphoma in other areas of your body.
How is aggressive lymphoma treated?
In most cases, this is the combination therapy called R-CHOP (rituximab [Rituxan®], cyclophosphamide [Cytoxan®], doxorubicin [hydroxydoxorubicin], Oncovin® [vincristine] and prednisone). This intensive, multidrug chemotherapy can be very effective for aggressive lymphoma, and cures have been achieved.
Can aggressive lymphoma be cured?
High grade (aggressive) lymphomas generally need more intensive treatment than the low grade types. But they often respond well to treatment. Many people are cured.
What is the treatment protocol for lymphoma?
Most often, the treatment is chemotherapy (chemo), usually with a regimen of 4 drugs known as CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone), plus the monoclonal antibody rituximab (Rituxan). This regimen, known as R-CHOP, is most often given in cycles 3 weeks apart.
Can aggressive B-cell lymphoma be cured?
Some aggressive B-cell lymphomas can be cured with chemotherapy, especially in early stage diseases. DLBCL is a fast-growing type that can be treated with a chemotherapy regimen called CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone).
What is the most aggressive type of lymphoma?
Burkitt lymphoma: Considered the most aggressive form of lymphoma, this disease is one of the fastest growing of all cancers.
How fast does aggressive lymphoma spread?
After five to 10 years, low-grade disorders begin to progress rapidly to become aggressive or high-grade and produce more severe symptoms. This type progresses fairly rapidly without treatment.
What is the latest treatment for lymphoma?
A drug called ibrutinib (Imbruvica) has been developed to shut down that pathway. It is being used and tested in a number of ways: In the last several years, the drug has been approved for the treatment of small lymphocytic lymphoma and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia, both indolent non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
How successful is lymphoma treatment?
Treatment options Surgery isn't generally used to treat the condition, except for the biopsy used to diagnose it. Overall, treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma is highly effective and most people with the condition are eventually cured.
How do you slow down lymphoma?
Other research found that women who ate 6 or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day had a 40% reduced risk of NHL compared to those who ate only 3 servings a day. A high intake of vitamin A and vitamin C may reduce the risk of NHL and large B-cell lymphoma, respectively.
How do you beat B-cell lymphoma?
Chemotherapy is the main way to treat most types of B-cell lymphoma. You can get this on its own, or combine it with radiation or immunotherapy. Chemo uses drugs to kill fast-dividing cells in your body, including cancer cells. You get this medicine through a vein (IV), or you take it as a pill by mouth.
Can Stage 4 lymphoma be cured?
Stage 4 lymphoma means that cancer has spread to an organ external to the lymphatic system. The survival rates vary widely depending on an individual's risk factors and type of cancer. The survival rate of stage 4 lymphoma is lower than that of the other stages, but doctors can cure the condition in some cases.
Does rituximab cure lymphoma?
Rituximab is currently approved for treatment of relapsed and refractory indolent lymphomas as single-agent therapy and as initial therapy in combination with standard chemotherapy regimens. In patients with DLBCL, it is approved for use as initial therapy with CHOP or other anthracycline-based chemotherapy.
What is targeted therapy for diffuse large B cell lymphoma?
The first targeted treatment, rituximab, has been an unqualified albeit empirical success. Rational drug discovery now leverages our understanding of tumor pathogenesis and tumor-host interactions. The discovery of new signaling pathways through gene expression profiling (GEP), transcriptome sequencing, RNA interference screens, and DNA sequencing has identified an array of new targets for DLBCL. The division of DLBCL into at least 3 distinct molecular diseases, germinal center B-cell (GBC), activated B-cell (ABC), and primary mediastinal B-cell (PMBL) DLBCL, is essential for advancing treatment.
Is there a study on PMBL?
There is a virtual absence of prospective studies in PMBL, which has led to conflicting findings and a lack of treatment standards. Nonetheless, several observations have emerged from the literature. First, most patients with PMBL do not achieve adequate tumor control with standard immunochemotherapy, necessitating routine mediastinal radiotherapy. Second, even with radiotherapy, which has serious late-term side effects, 20% of patients have disease progression. Third, more aggressive chemotherapy is associated with an improved outcome. Due to the widespread use of R-CHOP chemotherapy, it has become a de facto standard for PMBL. Most strategies also incorporate consolidation radiotherapy to overcome the inadequacy of immunochemotherapy. The most accurate assessment of R-CHOP and radiotherapy comes from a subset analysis of PMBL patients in the Mabthera International Trial Group study of R-CHOP-based treatment. 40 In 44 patients, 73% of whom received radiotherapy, the EFS was 78% at 34 months. 40 These results indicate that patients who receive R-CHOP–based treatment, the majority being young and female, will confront the potentially serious long-term consequences of radiotherapy. Retrospective studies suggest that PMBL has a better outcome with more dose-intense regimens. 41 Dose intensity is important in nodular sclerosis Hodgkin lymphoma, a closely related disease. Based on evidence that dose intensity is important in PMBL, Dunleavy et al assessed DA-EPOCH-R, a dose-intense regimen, without radiotherapy in PMBL. In a recent report of 51 patients with untreated PMBL, the EFS and overall survival were 93% and 97%, respectively, at the median follow-up of 5 years. Only 2 patients required consolidation radiation treatment and no patients died of PMBL. 42 These results suggest that DA-EPOCH-R obviates the need for radiation in most PMBL patients, thus eliminating the risk of radiation-induced malignancies and heart disease. This is particularly important given that PMBL patients are typically young and often women and are at increased risk of breast cancer. Although the outcome of PMBL is excellent with regimens such as DA-EPOCH-R, it would be important to further reduce the toxicity and length of treatment. Therefore, targeted agents will be important to test. JAK2 is a potentially important target for PMBL. 43
Is DLBCL curable?
Although DLBCL remains curable in advanced stages, up to one-third of patients will ultimately fail initial therapy and the efficacy of salvage options are diminished in the rituximab era. Anthracycline-based chemotherapy and rituximab have been historic breakthroughs in the management of DLBCL, with notable effects on survival. DLBCL is a heterogeneous disease composed of molecular subtypes that are as different from one another as they are from other aggressive lymphomas. This is reflected in their different mechanisms of pathogenesis and druggable targets. We have entered the “molecular era” of defining DLBCL, when we must identify and target oncogene and non-oncogene addictions within distinct molecular subsets of DLBCL. Numerous small molecules are at various stages of development and demonstrate promise. To realize the goal of personalized precision therapy for DLBCL, it is essential that clinical trials be conducted within the molecular subsets of DLBCL.
What is the goal of lymphoma treatment?
The goal of treatment is to destroy as many cancer cells as possible and bring the disease into remission.
How to determine if lymphoma is present?
Advanced tests can determine if lymphoma cells are present and what types of cells are involved. Blood tests. Blood tests to count the number of cells in a sample of your blood can give your doctor clues about your diagnosis. Removing a sample of bone marrow for testing. A bone marrow aspiration and biopsy procedure involves inserting a needle ...
What tests can be done to determine if you have lymphoma?
Physical exam. Your doctor checks for swollen lymph nodes, including in your neck, underarm and groin, as well as a swollen spleen or liver. Removing a lymph node for testing. Your doctor may recommend a lymph node biopsy procedure to remove all or part of a lymph node for laboratory testing. Advanced tests can determine if lymphoma cells are ...
What is the treatment for cancer?
Radiation therapy . Radiation therapy uses high-powered beams of energy, such as X-rays and protons, to kill cancer cells. Bone marrow transplant. A bone marrow transplant, also known as a stem cell transplant, involves using high doses of chemotherapy and radiation to suppress your bone marrow.
Can lymphoma be treated with supplements?
No supplements have been found to treat lymphoma. But integrative medicine may help you cope with the stress of a cancer diagnosis and the side effects of cancer treatment. Talk to your doctor about your options, such as: Physical activity. Art therapy. Meditation. Music therapy. Relaxation exercises. Acupuncture.
Treatments for advanced-stage aggressive NHL
The following are treatment options for advanced-stage aggressive NHL.
Treatments for relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL
Aggressive (fast-growing) NHL can come back (relapse) after treatment. It can also become refractory over time, which means that treatments stop working. The following are treatment options for relapsed or refractory aggressive NHL.
Clinical trials
You may be asked if you want to join a clinical trial for NHL. Find out more about clinical trials.
Diagnosis
Treatment
- Which lymphoma treatments are right for you depends on the type and stage of your disease, your overall health, and your preferences. The goal of treatment is to destroy as many cancer cells as possible and bring the disease into remission. Lymphoma treatments include: 1. Active surveillance.Some forms of lymphoma are very slow growing. You and your doctor may decide t…
Clinical Trials
- Explore Mayo Clinic studiestesting new treatments, interventions and tests as a means to prevent, detect, treat or manage this condition.
Alternative Medicine
- No supplements have been found to treat lymphoma. But integrative medicine may help you cope with the stress of a cancer diagnosis and the side effects of cancer treatment. Talk to your doctor about your options, such as: 1. Physical activity 2. Art therapy 3. Meditation 4. Music therapy 5. Relaxation exercises 6. Acupuncture 7. Massage
Coping and Support
- A lymphoma diagnosis can be overwhelming. With time you'll find ways to cope with the stress and uncertainty of cancer. Until then, you may find it helps to: 1. Learn about lymphoma.If you'd like to know more about your lymphoma, ask your doctor for the details of your cancer — the type, the stage and your prognosis. Ask for good sources of up-to-date information on your treatment …
Preparing For Your Appointment
- Make an appointment with your primary care doctor if you have any signs or symptoms that worry you. If your doctor suspects you have lymphoma, he or she may refer you to a doctor who specializes in diseases that affect the blood cells (hematologist). Because appointments can be brief, and because there's often a lot of ground to cover, it's a good idea to be well prepared. Her…