Treatment of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
1. Chemotherapy: Health care professionals administer this drug treatment either as an injection or oral form that kills cancer cells. This treatment can involve one medication or multiple medications, and health care professionals may give it alone or in conjunction with other therapies. This therapy is given in cycles, alternating treatment periods and non-treatment periods. The repetition of these cycles and the number of cycles will be determined by an oncologist based on the staging of the cancer and the medications used. Chemotherapy also harms normal cells that divide rapidly. This can lead to hair loss, GI symptoms, and difficulty with the immune system.

2. Radiation therapy: High doses of radiation kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Health care professionals use this modality alone or in conjunction with other therapies. Side effects usually depend on the type and dosage of the therapy as well as the area undergoing radiation therapy. Universally, patients tend to get tired during radiation therapy, especially toward the later stages of treatment.

3. Stem cell transplant: This procedure allows a patient to receive large doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy to kill the lymphoma cells that might survive standard levels of therapy. Physicians use this therapy if the lymphoma returns after treatment. For this therapy, one needs to be admitted to the hospital. After the therapy, a doctor injects healthy stem cells (that were either taken from you before the therapy or from a donor) to form a new immune system.

4. Biological drugs: These medications enhance the immune system's ability to fight cancers. Monoclonal antibodies treat NHL. Health care professionals administer the therapy via an IV, and the monoclonal antibodies bind to the cancer cells and augment the immune system's ability to destroy cancer cells. Rituximab (Rituxan) is such a drug used in the treatment of B-cell lymphoma. Side effects for this treatment are usually flu-like symptoms. Rarely, a person can have a severe reaction, including a drop in blood pressure or difficulty breathing. R-CHOP therapy or regimen is an example of a common regimen used to treat NHL. It involves a combination of chemotherapy and biological therapy drugs (rituximab; cyclophosphamide; doxorubicin hydrochloride; vincristine sulfate) and prednisone.

5. Radio immunotherapy medications: These are made of monoclonal antibodies that transport radioactive materials directly to cancer cells. Because the radioactive material is traveling and binding directly to the cancer cell, the cancer cell absorbs more radiation. Ibritumomab (Zevalin) and tositumomab (Bexxar) are two drugs approved for this use in lymphomas. Side effects usually include getting very tired or experiencing flu-like symptoms.