Frequency | Lymphoma

Frequency

Hodgkin lymphomas (lymphomas) occur in 100,000 people in Germany 2-3 times a year. Hodgkin’s disease (lymphoma) is thus a rather rare disease. Men contract the disease slightly more frequently than women (ratio 3:2).

Two disease peaks can be observed. On the one hand between the age of 20 and 30, on the other hand after the age of 65. In principle, however, the disease can occur at any age.

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are much more common in Germany with 10-15 cases per 100,000 people. Here, too, men are affected slightly more frequently than women. Non-Hodgkin lymphomas can also occur at any age.

However, the older the patients get, the higher the risk of a new disease. On average, most patients develop non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 60. The risk increases with age in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, which is most common among 65-70 year olds.

Men are affected slightly more often than women. In the course of regular blood tests and routine examinations, the average age at diagnosis has fallen somewhat. About 1/5 of the patients is 55 years old.

Therapy

The therapy of a lymphoma disease depends on the type of lymphoma. Since lymphomas can originate from different cells and structures, the therapy options are very different and are directed precisely against the affected structure. The most important branches of therapy will be presented in this section.

In general, chemotherapy, stem cell transplantation, radiotherapy and surgical procedures are used. For the so-called low-malignant non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, i.e. the less aggressive forms, radiation therapy is applied in stages I and II. In low-grade non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, irradiation offers very good prospects for a cure.

In the higher stages, however, the disease is not curable. Palliative procedures and polychemotherapy are used here. Since the cells grow very slowly, chemotherapeutic agents that are supposed to kill the tumor cells are not very effective.

Therefore, the higher stages cannot be cured. In the case of high malignancies, i.e. aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, a curative therapeutic approach is possible in all stages. Chemotherapy is also used.Classic chemotherapy is often combined with immunotherapy, in which specific antibodies directed against the tumor cells are administered.

However, there are exceptions, such as chronic lymphatic leukemia, which has its own therapeutic approaches. In Hodgkin’s lymphomas, attempts are made at every stage to treat the tumor curatively. This means that the therapy always aims at a cure, even if this is unfortunately not always successful.

The therapy of Hodgkin’s lymphomas is based on two important pillars, namely radiotherapy and chemotherapy. If the disease is not very extensive, radiation therapy may be sufficient. If the findings are more extensive, however, chemotherapy is combined with radiation therapy.

In severe cases, a stem cell transplantation may be necessary. The duration of the therapy depends on the type of lymphoma on the one hand and on the selected therapy option on the other. Chemotherapy usually lasts several months.

Radiation therapy can also be performed several times at intervals of several weeks. The exact therapy schedule is determined individually, so it is not possible to give a general indication of how long the therapy will ultimately last. Another factor that plays a major role in the duration of the therapy is the relapse of the disease, also called recurrence. If the disease relapses, renewed therapy measures are also necessary.