Your treatment plan will depend on your general health and your age, because many of the treatments can cause serious side effects and complications, which can put a tremendous strain on the body.
It is likely that discussion about your treatment plan will take place with several doctors and other health professionals who specialise in different aspects of treating lymphoma.
Your care team will recommend the best treatment options to you. However, you should not be rushed into making a decision about your treatment plan. Before deciding, you may wish to talk to friends, family and your partner.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a widely used treatment for lymphoma, often combined with radiotherapy. The type of chemotherapy you receive will depend on the stage of your Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
If it is thought that your lymphoma is curable, you will normally receive an intensive treatment programe of chemotherapy injections (intravenous chemotherapy), designed to kill all of the cancerous cells in your body. However, if a cure is unlikely, a more moderate treatment programme involving taking chemotherapy tablets may be used, which can often provide long-term relief from symptoms.
Chemotherapy is usually given over a period of a few months on an outpatient basis, which means you should not have to stay in hospital overnight. But there may be times when your symptoms or the side effects of treatment become particularly troublesome, and a longer hospital stay may be needed.
Chemotherapy kills the cancerous cells but it can also damage healthy cells, which can lead to several common side effects. These include:
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhoea
- loss of appetite
- mouth ulcers
- tiredness
- skin rashes
- hair loss
- infertility: this may be temporary or permanent
The side effects should pass once your treatment has finished. However, tell your care team if the side effects become particularly troublesome, as there are medicines that can help you cope better with some side effects. For example, creams and gels can treat mouth ulcers.
Read more about chemotherapy.
Intensive chemotherapy can also damage your bone marrow. This can interfere with the production of healthy blood cells, which can lead to the following symptoms:
- fatigue
- breathlessness
- increased vulnerability to infection
- bleeding and bruising more easily
Treatment may need to be delayed so that you can produce more healthy blood cells. Growth factor medicines can also stimulate the production of blood cells.
If the damage to the bone marrow is extensive, you may require a stem cell transplant to replace the damaged bone marrow.
Radiotherapy
Radiotherapy is often used to treat stage 1 and 2 lymphomas, when the cancer cells are in only one part of the body. Treatment is normally given daily, Monday to Friday, over the space of three to four weeks. You should not have to stay in hospital between appointments.
Radiotherapy itself is painless, but it has some common side effects. These can vary, depending on which part of your body is being treated. For example, if the affected lymph nodes are in your throat, radiotherapy can lead to a sore throat, while treatment to the head can lead to hair loss.
Other common side effects include:
- tiredness
- nausea
- vomiting
- dry mouth
- loss of appetite
Biological therapy
People who are diagnosed with the rare lymphocyte predominant type of Hodgkin’s lymphoma may have a type of biological therapy called rituximab.
Rituximab attaches itself to the surface of a cancerous cell and stimulates the immune system to attack and kill the cell.
It is administered directly into your vein over the course of a few hours. The usual recommended dose is to have it once a week for four weeks.
It is common to experience flu-like symptoms when you are being treated with rituximab. Possible symptoms include:
- headache
- fever or chills
- fatigue
- muscle pain
You may be given additional medication to prevent or lessen side effects. Side effects should improve over time as your body gets used to rituximab.
Steroids
Steroids are used in combination with chemotherapy to treat some cases of Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Research has shown that using steroids makes the chemotherapy more effective.
Steroids are given intravenously, usually at the same time as your chemotherapy. A short-term course of steroids, lasting no more than a few months, is usually recommended as this limits the number of side effects you could have. Common side effects of short-term steroid use include:
- increased appetite, which can lead to weight gain
- an increase in your energy levels
- problems sleeping
On rare occasions, you may have to take steroids on a long-term basis. Side effects of long-term steroid use include:
- swelling in your hands, feet and eyelids
- weight gain
- indigestion
- raised blood pressure
- a slightly higher risk of developing infections
More information
Cancer Research UK provides more information about the treatment of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and living with Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
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Treating Hodgkin"s lymphoma
