Lymphoma Cancer Treatment

Lymphoma is cancer that begins in infection-fighting cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes. These cells are in the lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, bone marrow, and other parts of the body. When you have lymphoma, lymphocytes change and grow out of control.
There are two main types of lymphoma:
•      Non-Hodgkin: Most people with lymphoma have this type.
•      Hodgkin
SYMPTOMS
Warning signs that you might have lymphoma include:
•      Swelling in the legs or ankles
•      Cramping and bloating of the abdomen
•      Night sweats and fever
•      Weight loss and loss of appetite
•      Chills
•      Unusual itching
•      Fatigue
•      Pain or altered sensation
•      Loss of appetite
•      Unusual tiredness/lack of energy
•      Persistent coughing
•      Breathlessness
•      Enlarged tonsils
•      Headache.
DIAGNOSIS
•      Blood test
•      Bone marrow aspiration or biopsy. Your doctor uses a needle to remove fluid or tissue from your bone marrow.
•      Chest X-ray
•      Imaging Scans – MRI, PET
•      Molecular test. It looks for changes to genes, proteins, and other substances in cancer cells to help your doctor figure out which type of lymphoma you have.
TREATMENTS AVAILABLE IN INDIA
•      Chemotherapy – It uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs work by stopping cancer cells dividing or triggering the cancer cells to die. Some cytotoxic drugs work only on cells that are in one phase of the cell cycle, so any cells in the affected phase are stopped from dividing. Other cytotoxic drugs work on any cell that is dividing, no matter what phase it is in. Cytotoxic drugs have little or no effect on cells that are not dividing. To kill as many cells as possible in one go, drugs that work in different phases of the cell cycle are usually used together in what is called a combination regimen.

• Radiation therapy – It uses high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells. Lymphoma cells are very sensitive to radiation – more so than most other types of cancer cells, such as breast or lung cancer cells. This makes radiotherapy an effective treatment for lymphoma. Some types of lymphoma, especially if they are at an early stage, can be cured by radiotherapy. Radiotherapy given with the aim of destroying all of the lymphoma is called ‘curative radiotherapy’. For a few people, radiotherapy is the only treatment that is needed. This is most likely with lymphomas that are low grade or ‘indolent’. Sometimes, radiotherapy is given to control symptoms like pain or breathlessness. It helps by reducing the size of the lymphoma. Radiotherapy given with the aim of easing symptoms is called ‘palliative radiotherapy’.

•      Immunotherapy – It uses your body’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. Different Therapies available under this section are Monoclonal antibodies, Cytokines and Vaccines.