Treatments By Stage For Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Early-stage, indolent, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (stages 1 and 2)

• Localised radiotherapy alone is used to treat patients with early stage or indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This is generally very successful.

Late-stage, indolent, non-Hodgkin lymphoma (stages 3 and 4)

• At first many patient may be managed with a ‘watch and wait’ approach
• After this they will receive a mixture of chemotherapy drugs as well as some radiotherapy.
  

Relapsed indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma

• Additional chemotherapy is used to treat patients with indolent non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has recurred
  

Early-stage aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma

• Patients are treated with several courses of a mixture of chemotherapy drugs.
• This limits the chance that patients will develop resistance to any of the drugs and also reduces the side effects.
• This may be followed by radiotherapy directed at the affected lymph nodes.

Late-stage aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma

• Patients are also treated with several courses of chemotherapy drugs
• Monoclonal antibody therapy, which targets cancer cells directly, may be used in combination with chemotherapy.

Relapsed aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma

• Additional high dose chemotherapy is used to treat patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma whose disease has returned even after having completed treatment.
• Some patient may benefit from a stem cell transplant