Facts on File Encyclopedia of Health and Medicine

• RADIATION THERAPY, either above the diaphragm
  only (mantle field radiation) or from the neck
  to the pelvis (total nodal irradiation)


• CHEMOTHERAPY


• IMMUNOTHERAPY, also called biological response
  modifier therapy, including monoclonal anti-
  body (MAb) therapy


• BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION and peripheral
  blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT)


• watchful waiting for indolent (slow-growing
  and asymptomatic) lymphomas

Treatment results in at least one remission for
most kinds of lymphoma. Many people experience
extended remissions with few recurrences, and
some people experience such long-term remis-
sions as to have the oncologist consider the lym-
phoma cured. Other lymphomas are more
resistant to treatment. Some chemotherapy drugs
are effective as single agents, though more com-
monly oncologists prescribe chemotherapy drugs
in combinations that target specific types of lym-
phoma. Many treatment regimens are cycles that
repeat over several months to a year. Numerous
complications resulting from treatment may occur,
and vary with the treatment regimen, type and

stage of lymphoma, and person’s age and general

health status.

CHEMOTHERAPY DRUGS USED TO TREAT LYMPHOMA

5-fluorouracil bleomycin

carmustine chlorambucil

cisplatin cyclophosphamide

cytarabine dexamethasone

doxorubicin etoposide

fludarabine fluoxymesterone

hydroxydaunomycin ifosfamide

melphalan methotrexate

mitoxantrone pentostatin

prednisone prednisone

procarbazine rituximab

tositumomab vincristine

Risk Factors and Preventive Measures

Researchers do not know what causes lymphoma,

though a number of environmental factors appear

to increase the risk for developing these forms of

cancer. The most significant risk is for people who

receive IMMUNOSUPPRESSIVE THERAPY after ORGAN

TRANSPLANTATION, who are 100 times more likely to

develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Other sus-

pected risk factors include

154 The Blood and Lymph

LYMPHOMA STAGING (HODGKIN’S AND NON-HODGKIN’S)

Stage Characteristics
stage 1 early disease
involves only a single LYMPH NODEregion

stage 2 locally advanced disease
involves two or more lymph node regions on one side of the DIAPHRAGM

stage 3 advanced disease
involves two or more lymph node regions on both sides of the diaphragm

stage 4 widely disseminated disease
involves multiple lymph node regions and METASTASISto other organs such as the BONEor BRAIN

A no symptoms at time of diagnosis (asymptomatic)

B symptoms present at time of diagnosis

E lymphoma is present in an organ outside the lymphatic system with no lymph node involvement