Medical Health Encyclopedia

Indolent-Lymphomas Relapses. Nearly all patients with indolent lymphomas relapse after initial treatment, with duration of remissions after a first treatment averaging 18 to 50 months. Successful retreatment is often possible, but disease-free periods become increasingly shorter with each subsequent treatment.

Older patients may choose watchful waiting. Other treatment options may include:

• Radiation alone or with chemotherapy -- in one study low-dose involved-field radiotherapy was very effective in recurring indolent lymphoma.
• Chemotherapy 
• High-dose chemotherapy with autologous stem cell transplant.
• Clinical trials involving monoclonal antibodies, radioimmunotherapy, nucleoside analogues alone or in combination with other drugs, or stem cell transplantation followed by biologic therapies

Aggressive Lymphomas Relapse. After initial treatment, more than half patients with aggressive lymphomas are cured, while about 20% progress and the other 30% relapse after a disease-free period. Among those who relapse, many can still be cured with aggressive treatments.

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Treatment options:

• Bone marrow or peripheral stem cell transplantation
• Bone marrow transplantation with radiation
• Clinical trials that involve continuous infusion chemotherapy, biologic therapies (monoclonal antibodies) alone or in combination with transplantation

Click the icon to see an illustrated series detailing bone marrow transplant surgery.

Preventing and Treating Lymphomas in the Central Nervous System

Treating Lymphoma Restricted to the Central Nervous System. Treatment options may include:

• High-dose methotrexate regimens alone or in combination with radiation (Note: A 2002 major trial indicates that the combination improves survival although it is very toxic)
• Corticosteroids and radiation
• Clinical trials that involve biologic therapies, such as rituximab or interferon alpha administered directly into the spinal fluid (intrathecal administration) for meningitis related to central nervous system lymphoma

Preventing (Prophylactic Treatment) Lymphomas in High-Risk Patients. Treatment to prevent the spread of NHL to the central nervous system may be appropriate in some patients. It is not recommended for patients with low-grade NHL. Preventive treatment may be appropriate for certain patients with high-grade NHL, such as those with lymphoblastic and Burkitt's lymphoma or if they have four or five of the following risk factors: elevated levels in the blood of the enzyme acetate dehydrogenase and albumin (a common protein), being older than 60, and having lymph nodes beyond the peritoneum (the lining of the abdomen) and involvement of more than one site outside a lymph node.