Lymphoma Treatment
Lymphoma Treatment
Once the type of lymphoma is diagnosed, there are four main types of therapy for treating lymphoma cancer. The first is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the use of medications to kill cancer cells. The medications are given through oral medications or injections. Once the medicine is in the body, the medicine travels through the blood stream to get to the cancer cells. Then the medicine can kill the cancer cells. Being that cancer is not like bacteria or virii, but are the body's own cells that have mutated, usually more than one type of medicine is used so less of one type of medicine does not enter the body which may have a higher risk of side effects on the normal cells. The second type of lymphoma treatment is radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is the use of X-rays to kill cancer cells. This is similar to having a chest X-ray taken, but these X-rays are much higher in energy. Lymphoma cells multiply and divide quickly. However, when they are exposed to these high energy X-rays, the DNA is damaged and the cancer cells are killed. DNA is what carries the signals for the cells to multiply and divide, so when the DNA is ruined, the cell dies and does not create any more cells. This can be done in small areas over time or in one large area. Either way, repeated treatments are needed. The third type of treatment for lymphoma is monoclonal antibody (biological) therapy. Antibody therapy works by having a medicine or substance in the body identify the cells that do not belong, much like when a body has a cold or the flu and works to get better. This can be done because unique molecules (antigens) on these foreign cells are much different from the cells that do belong in the body. The first successful use of this therapy is with Rituxamab. This works agains B-Cell Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas. When it attaches to the antigen, the cancer cells begin to die. Ibritumomab and Tositumomab are also now being used in clinical studies of this lymphoma treatment. The fourth type of treatment is bone marrow and stem cell transplant. This treatment for lymphoma is where a patient is given bone marrow or stem cells from a donor that matches the blood type and marrow type of the patient. This treatment usually works best when the cancer is in remission (not showing any more growth, but going away or "the signs and symptoms of cancer have disappeared"). This makes it much easier for a patient to receive chemotherapy or radiotherapy. A few days to a few weeks after the transplant is completed, white and red blood cells begin to grow that are healthy. If the cancer is gone, then this is may be all that is needed. However, if the cancer is not completely gone, these healthy blood cells make it easier on the patients body since they are there to keep them healthy and to help fight infections, even if some are somewhat effected by the other therapies.
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