Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma - Medications

Medications

Your health professional may prescribe medications that will affect the growth of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and relieve your symptoms. Treatment depends on:

• The stage of the disease.
• The grade of the disease.
  • Aggressive (intermediate- and high-grade) lymphomas tend to grow and spread quickly and cause severe symptoms. They are also easier to cure.
  • Less aggressive (indolent or low-grade) lymphomas tend to grow slowly and cause fewer symptoms. They often come back after long periods of remission.
• Your age.
• Your general health.
• Whether you have had lymphoma in the past (recurrent disease). While lymphoma that has come back (recurred) may be controlled, it usually is not curable.

For more information about medication treatments, see the following topics:

• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma – Health Professional Information [NCI PDQ]
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma - Patient Information [NCI PDQ]

Medication Choices

Chemotherapy often cures aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Even when cure is not possible, such as with indolent lymphoma, chemotherapy may allow you to live a long time without symptoms. A combination of chemotherapy medications is generally more effective than a single drug. The most commonly used combination is called CHOP, which combines cyclophosphamide, Adriamycin, vincristine, and prednisone.

Your health professional may recommend that you try treatment with a medication known as a monoclonal antibody (such as rituximab). This medication is used with CHOP and helps you live a long time without symptoms.⁵

Other medication combinations include:

• Chlorambucil, either by itself or with fludarabine.
• Cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisone (CVP).
• Cyclophosphamide, vincristine, procarbazine, and prednisone (COPP).
• Fludarabine, mitoxantrone, and dexamethasone (FND).
• Gemcitabine, dexamethasone, cisplatin (GDP).

What To Think About

Depending on the type and the stage of the lymphoma, chemotherapy may be used alone or in combination with radiation therapy.

Sometimes a person may take one chemotherapy combination for several cycles and later switch to a different one if the first treatment combination does not seem to be working.

Chemotherapy causes many side effects. These side effects are usually temporary and go away when treatment is stopped. Older adults may find side effects more difficult to tolerate. Side effects may also cause more problems if you have other diseases, such as diabetes, chronic lung disease, or coronary artery disease. You may not be able to become pregnant or father a child after chemotherapy treatment. Discuss fertility issues with your doctor before starting treatment. Chemotherapy medications can also cause birth defects. If you are pregnant or wish to father a child, discuss the risk of birth defects with your health professional before using any chemotherapy medication.

Survival rates have improved as a result of clinical trials. Check with your doctor to determine whether clinical trials are available in your area.

Your health professional may use the term "remission" instead of "cure" when talking about the effectiveness of your treatment. Although many people with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are successfully treated, health professionals use the term remission because cancer can return. It is important to discuss the possibility of recurrence with your health professional.