Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Treatment

Oncologists, hematologists, and other specialists at Mayo Clinic treat non-Hodgkin lymphoma with state-of-the-art chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and other innovative treatments. The choice of treatment approaches for a patient depends on both the form and the stage of the disease. The treatment team may choose from many treatments and combinations of treatments specifically designed for the different forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Each patient's needs differ, and Mayo Clinic specialists are highly experienced in treating the disease.

For a patient who has no overt symptoms, treatment may begin with watchful waiting. That is, when the disease is discovered at a very early stage, the patient may have periodic exams and observation before any treatment begins. Patients with an advanced stage of an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma may be treated with a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

To treat other forms and stages of the disease, the treatment team may use radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or both. The team may choose immunotherapy (biologic or biotherapy), bone marrow or stem cell transplantation, or either field or total body radiation therapy.

Radiation Therapy

As with other forms of treatment, the use of radiation therapy depends on the kind of lymphoma and how far it has advanced. Some patients benefit from external radiation therapy that directs radiation toward specific points in the body. Other kinds of lymphomas respond to internal radiation therapies in which a radioactive substance is placed in or near a cancer, using a needle, catheter or other device.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs to stop the progression of the lymphoma. Depending on the form and stage of the disease, Mayo physicians may give one drug or combinations of different drugs. The drugs may be given by mouth or through a vein.

Stem Cell Transplantation

Because radiation therapy and chemotherapy destroy stem cells when they eradicate cancer cells, stem cell transplantation may be used to rebuild a patient's supply of those developing cells. In stem cell transplantation, before a patient begins radiation or chemotherapy doctors give the patient a medication to increase the number of stem cells in the blood, and then draw blood. After the stem cells are removed, the blood is returned to the body. Stem cells can be collected and preserved for use after chemotherapy, or they can be collected from a matched donor for immediate or later use.

Immunotherapy

Sometimes it is possible to use substances made in a patient's body to better prepare the immune system to fight off the disease. These substances may be created in a laboratory.

Biologic Therapy

One treatment is made from a specific antibody, an immune system cell. Monoclonal antibody therapy is sometimes used alone and sometimes in combination with drugs or radioactive substances to kill cancer cells.