Treatment for lymphoma depends on several factors including the stage of the lymphoma and whether it is slow growing or aggressive.
An individual with lymphoma should be assessed by a specialist to determine which modality of treatment is best suited for them. It is important to discuss all the possible treatment choices, including what to expect and possible side effects, to help you make an informed decision.
As some forms of low-grade lymphoma are slow growing with patients being entirely unaffected by them, patients may not need immediate treatment. Doctors may advise to monitor and observe to see if the cancer progresses, before starting any treatment at an appropriate time point. Periodic tests will be conducted to monitor the condition.
Chemotherapy is the use of anti-cancer drugs to eradicate cancer cells or prevent their growth. Treatment is given orally or injected through a vein to kill cancer cells. The drugs circulate throughout the body to reach cancer cells even when they are widespread. Chemotherapy is given at regulated intervals to allow the body to recover between each treatment course.
Radiation therapy or radiotherapy, is the use of high-energy radiation (rays or particles) to kill or damage cancer cells. The area covered may just be the lymph nodes or organs affected by lymphoma or, in some cases, to a wider area encompassing the lymph nodes in the neck, chest and under both armpits. Radiation therapy may be given alone or combined with chemotherapy.
A stem cell or bone marrow transplant involves the use of high doses of chemotherapy and/or radiation to suppress unhealthy bone marrow. Healthy stem cells from the bone marrow or from a donor, which are capable of producing new blood cells, are extracted and infused into the patient’s blood and reintroduced into the body to help rebuild the immune system.
Other treatments such as immunotherapy are used to treat lymphoma when conventional treatments are deemed ineffective.
One such example is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, an innovative approach which involves extracting a patient’s T-cells, training them to recognise the lymphoma and then administering them back into the body to kill the cancer cells.
Another example is the use of monoclonal antibodies. These antibodies attach themselves to B cells, making cancerous B cells more visible so that the body’s immune system can destroy them. Although non-cancerous B cells will be targeted as well, the body is capable of replacing them.
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