Types of Treatment for Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is a form of cancer that affects the lymphocyte cells of the immune system and because it doesn't initially affect any specific organ, such as the lungs or the liver, it rarely causes visible or even noticeable symptoms in the early stages. If it does cause symptoms these can often be attributed to a simple infection e.g. swollen lymph glands, fever, weight loss etc. and so lymphoma generally remains undiagnosed until it has already reached a late stage.
This means that non-Hodgkin's lymphoma can be difficult to treat and in some cases even the most potent treatments fail to control the disease, especially if the cancerous cells have already spread to secondary sites in the body. There are a number of treatments that can be used to control the disease however the two common forms are chemotherapy and radiotherapy.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is mainly used when there are multiple areas of cancerous cells and it involves either taking tablets each day or in more severe cases having stronger drugs injected into the body, normally through an intravenous drip. Where a drip is used the patient will be required to stay in hospital, normally for around 4-5 days each month and they will be given a number of cytotoxic drugs that specifically kill cancerous cells. Many chemotherapeutic drugs cause adverse side effects however these can often be treated with additional drugs so that they are kept to a minimum.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy can be used by itself or alternatively in conjunction with chemotherapy. It involves aiming a radiation beam at the main tumor site so that the cancerous cells can be killed off. A small number of normal body cells may also be killed by the radiation and some side effects may be felt because of this however these are often very faint and cause little or no problems. Radiotherapy quickly causes fatigue and many courses last for weeks at a time however this form of treatment is very effective when the lymphoma is still in an early stage.
The type of treatment that is recommended for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma will depend to large extent on how far the cancer has developed, where in the body it has spread to and your overall level of fitness. This last factor can make a big difference when the patient is elderly as it may be that they will have a better quality of life if the lymphoma is left alone than if they are given intensive drug therapies and radiotherapy. Also if they have a number of other illnesses that are potentially fatal then there is little point in treating the lymphoma and causing the patient a lot of stress that could be avoided. In these cases the doctor will take a watchful approach where they lymphoma is carefully monitored and its symptoms are treated with less intensive drugs.
Newer Treatments
There are a few newer treatments that are now being used to help control nonHodgkin's lymphoma and when used in conjunction with the established therapies they are proving to be very successful. Biologic therapy for example stimulates the patient's own immune system so that it is stronger and more able to fight the lymphoma itself and when this is combined with radiotherapy then the results can be very encouraging. Whatever treatment is used it is important to maintain a positive mental attitude and although mentally thinking your cancer away is not an established treatment it may very well help - stranger things have happened.