Treatment for Lymphoma Hodgkins and Non Hodgkins Lymphoma Treatments
The most appropriate treatment for lymphoma depend on many things like type of the cancer, its stage, its grade and a lot more. There are 3 standard treatments and other new options as well for both Hodgkins and Non Hodgkins.
What factors are considered in evaluating lymphoma treatment options?
The kind of treatment depends on...
Type - Is it Hodgkins or Non Hodgkins?
Stage of your cancer - Is it stage 1, 2, 3 or 4? Radiation is the recommended treatment for stages 1 and 2 because it can result to long term remissions and even cure. A combination of chemo and high dose of radiation is prescribed for stage 3 or 4 low grade lymphoma.
Location of the cancer
Grade - Is it indolent, intermediate or aggressive?
Your age - Treatment for adult lymphoma is different from the childhood type.
Your health condition - Any existing medical condition you have at the time of your diagnosis such as pregnancy is crucial.
Symptoms - If you are pregnant and you are only experiencing mild symptoms, your doctor might put you in a waiting mode before recommending a treatment option.
In determining the best Hodgkins or Non Hodgkins disease treatment, 2 factors are very important -- the grade of tissue with the cancer and the stage of the disease.
What are the standard treatment options for most adult lymphomas?
A standard treatment for lymphoma includes...
Chemotherapy - Drugs are used either to kill or to stop the cancerous cells from dividing. It can be...
systemic - chemo meds are taken orally or given intravenously
regional - the medicine is injected directly at your spinal cord, affected organ or through a body cavity like the abdomen
combination - use of 2 or more chemo drugs.
Radiation - Low or high doses of radiation are directed at the exact location of the cancer and at nearby lymph nodes. It can be internal or external.
Surgery - The procedure is known as laparotomy in which the cancerous organ or tissue is removed.
What if you are pregnant and have lymphoma?
If you are pregnant and are experiencing only mild symptoms, the doctor may recommend to "wait and see" before recommending a specific treatment for lymphoma.
This is for prevention against hurting your baby.
But if the cancer is aggressive, the following types of treatment are recommended:
Steroid therapy - The use of hormones that are either natural substances produced by your reproductive organs or adrenal glands or those that are made in a laboratory.
Some steroid medicines can help chemotherapy work better and can also help the lungs of your baby to develop faster than normal.
Combination of chemo and radiation with stem cell transplant - Since both chemo and radiation can damage your healthy blood cells, stem cell transplant replaces those blood cells.
Are there new Hodgkins and Non Hodgkins lymphoma treatments?
Treatment for both HL and NHL has improved during the past recent years. This has resulted to better lymphoma survival prognosis and statistics.
Some of the new forms of treatment being done are...
Bone marrow transplant - This is recommended if your cancer recurs after a treatment of chemo.
Biological therapies - The use of natural substances of your immune system for prevention of cancer progression.
Full recovery can be expected in 75% of HL cases.
There are also clinical trials being done as part of cancer research. If you have been diagnosed with cancer, you might consider participating in a clinical trial.
You, your family and your doctors should be all actively involved in choosing the best treatment for lymphoma.
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