Hodgkin lymphoma treatment
The main types of treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma are chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Your treatment will be planned by a team of specialists and will be based on the results of the tests you have had.
Factors taken into account when planning your treatment will include:
- your age
- your general health
- the size of affected lymph nodes
- whether the lymphoma has spread to other organs.
Your doctor will explain the planned treatment and take the time to answer any questions you may have.
Low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma often grows very slowly and your doctors may decide that regular checkups are sufficient in the early stages. Treatment depends on how advanced the disease is. Many people will have more than one course of treatment, sometimes with long periods in between.
Where treatment is needed, it may take the form of radiotherapy (if the disease only affects one area) or chemotherapy or a combination of both. With advanced low-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma, the aim of treatment is to keep the disease under control rather than cure.
High-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Treatment for high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma aims to cure. Chemotherapy is the main treatment, using a combination of different drugs. Sometimes a drug called Rituximab, a kind of antibody, is given with the chemotherapy. You may be offered high-dose chemotherapy with bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Sometimes lymph nodes are treated with radiotherapy if they are just in one area of the body.
Steroids
Steroids are generally given with chemotherapy to lessen their side effects. If you have to take steroids for more then a few months you may experience a range of side effects. Your doctor will be able to give you information on how to cope with them. All side effects are temporary and you will notice them disappearing once you finish the treatment.