Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma refers to a group of blood cancers that start in the lymphatic system and spread to other parts of the body if you do not get treatment swiftly. Non-Hodgkins lymphoma is a fairly common form of cancer that was once considered extremely deadly. While it can still be terminal, treatments for non-Hodgkins lymphoma have come a long way, and the condition can often be cured or put into long-term remission.
It is vital to seek a quick diagnosis and treatment plan for non-Hodgkins lymphoma, since it has the potential to spread quickly. If it gets to other parts of the body from the lymphatic system, it is much more difficult to treat and cure.
As with most types of cancer, chemotherapy is the most common treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. It is often the first prescribed treatment when you initially receive your diagnosis and is administered with the goal of stopping cancer in its tracks. Chemotherapy targets and kills cancer cells and is often given through an IV.
Unfortunately, it also has many unwanted side effects, including diarrhoea, nausea, hair loss, muscle pain, and many others.
Radiation therapy is a treatment where cancer cells are targeted and killed by special laser beams. Radiation therapy is often given simultaneously with chemotherapy and has many of the same unwanted side effects. In most cases, it’s administered after chemotherapy to eradicate any cancer cells that the chemo misses.
In addition to chemotherapy and radiation, immunotherapy is another common treatment option for people with non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Immunotherapy is a treatment that bolsters your immune system and helps impede the production of cancer cells. However, immunotherapy only works with certain types of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and often is not as effective as chemotherapy and radiation.
Chemotherapy and radiation are fairly broad-spectrum treatments that attack and destroy cancer cells without much direction. Targeted therapy, on the other hand, is where doctors use medications to target specific parts of cancer cells to destroy them from the inside out. This treatment is most effective when combined with chemotherapy and/or radiation.
Chimeric antigen receptor therapy is a fairly new and specialized treatment for non-Hodgkins lymphoma. With this treatment, your doctor re-engineers your T-cells to fight the characteristics of cancer cells. Unfortunately, this form of treatment is only effective against certain types of non-Hodgkins lymphoma and is best when combined with other treatments.
Stem cell or bone marrow transplants are another viable option for fighting non-Hodgkins lymphoma. This treatment is administered in two phases.
First, doctors will give you medications that keep your body from producing new stem cells. Next, your doctor will take healthy stem cells from your body or from a donor and implant them into your system. The new, healthy marrow replaces the diseased cancerous marrow and helps restrengthen and rebuild your bones and tissue.
Finally, your doctor may also recommend a wait-and-see approach to treating non-Hodgkins lymphoma. There are more than 70 different types of this condition, and not all of them are as serious as the next. Therefore, rather than starting treatment right away, your doctor might monitor the condition and wait and see if you need treatment.
As you can see, there are plenty of treatment options for non-Hodgkins lymphoma, depending on what type you have and how advanced it is. The key to getting the right treatment for your needs is to seek a diagnosis from a medical professional. Only they will know which treatment has the most potential for success.