Alternative treatment to lymphoma identified
Experts highlight emerging treatments for best outcomes and to minimize long-term problems
Dubai: While chemo is the usual first approach for lymphoma, doctors are developing new treatments! These can be used either upfront instead of chemo, or as backup options if chemo doesn't work, explains Stephen Ansell, M.D., Ph.D., hematology chair and hematologic oncologist at the Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Lymphoma is a blood cancer that begins when a germ-fighting white blood cell, called a lymphocyte, mutates and rapidly multiplies. There were roughly a half-million new cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and 82,409 new cases of Hodgkin lymphoma in 2022, making them the 10th and 26th most commonly diagnosed cancers that year, respectively, according to the most recent statistics from the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer.
Dr. Stephen Ansell, a cancer doctor at the Mayo Clinic, says these new treatments are important because they can help people with lymphoma live longer, healthier lives. "We want to get rid of the cancer, but we also don't want the treatment to make people feel awful," he explains. "These new treatments are designed to target the cancer cells more specifically, leaving healthy cells alone."
Dr. Ansell's research is helping develop these new options for patients whose lymphoma doesn't respond to chemo.
Here's a breakdown of some of these promising new treatments:
Helping the body fight back: Immunotherapy - This treatment enables a patient's immune system to recognize and destroy cancer cells. It's like giving the body a natural weapon against cancer!
Retraining immune system: CAR-T Cell Therapy - This exciting treatment involves taking immune system cells called T cells out of your body, modifying them in a lab to better target cancer cells, and then putting them back in the body. It is like training the immune system to be extra good at fighting cancer.
Targeting cancer's weaknesses: Targeted therapy - These medications are designed to attack specific flaws in cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed.
Replacing the bad with the good: Bone marrow transplant - In some cases, doctors can replace diseased bone marrow with healthy stem cells. It's like giving the body a fresh start to make healthy blood cells.
Zapping the cancer cells: Radiation therapy - While radiation can still be used, it's often combined with new treatments and may be less intense.
With these new options, the future is looking brighter for people with lymphoma. It's a hopeful time for those battling this disease!