Therapy

In Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the therapy approach is always a cure of the disease and an elimination of the tumor cells within three months. The therapy is always based on chemotherapy and radiation. In stages I and II, two cycles of chemotherapy with four substances (ABVD scheme) are performed simultaneously with local radiation of the lymph nodes.

If certain risk factors are present, in addition to radiation, two cycles of another combination of 6 chemotherapeutic agents (BEACOPP-scheme) are given first, followed by two cycles of the ABVD-scheme. If there is a large tumor in the thoracic region or a stage III or IV according to Ann-Arbor, treatment is first given with 6 cycles of the BEACOPP regimen before irradiation and then the remaining tumor tissue is irradiated. However, the BEACOPP regimen should not be used in patients older than sixty years of age.

In the group of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, a distinction is made between high and low malignant types, i.e. according to how malignant the respective subtype of lymph gland cancer is. Low malignant stage I and II non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma can only be cured by radiation. In stage III and IV of low malignant lymphoma, it can be assumed that the lymph gland cancer is already spread over the entire body, so that the therapy goal is only to alleviate the symptoms and improve the quality of life.

This is either managed by active monitoring of the cancer, or chemotherapy may be given. This is often not very effective because the low malignant forms divide only slowly and thus do not offer a good target for chemotherapy. Highly malignant non-Hodgkin lymphomas are treated at all stages with chemotherapy consisting of four different substances (CHOP regimen). The therapeutic goal here is always a cure. Some special subtypes of lymph gland cancer are again treated with other therapy regimens, such as primary cerebral lymphoma, chronic lymphatic leukemia and multiple myeloma.