Lymphatic cancers (also known as lymphomas) are cancers of the body's immune system. In a lymphoma, some of the immune cells, which are often found in the bones, mutate, causing them to grow uncontrollably. These cancerous cells can spread to other tissues, where they can cause additional damage. Lymphomas can be divided into two categories: Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which have slightly different characteristics and treatment plans.
Surgery
According to the American Cancer Society, surgery is more commonly used for diagnostic reasons than for actual treatment, as it allows the physician to obtain a sample of the cancerous tissue. Nevertheless, surgery is occasionally a treatment option, especially for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that has begun in an organ outside of the lymphatic system, such as the thyroid or stomach.
Radiation
The American Cancer Society says that radiation therapy is one of the most common treatments used to treat lymphomas, both of the Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's variety. Radiation therapy for lymphatic cancer generally comes in the form of external beam therapy, which is a procedure in which high-energy X-ray beams are directed at the site of the cancer, where the beams damage and kill cancer cells. The Mayo Clinic says that this type of treatment is often used to shrink tumors and is especially useful in lymphatic cancers that are detected in their early stages.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs that poison or kill off cancer cells. Chemotherapy typically involves the use of multiple chemotherapeutic agents, and the exact combination varies depending upon the type of lymphatic cancer. Hodgkin's lymphoma is generally treated with a combination of Bleomycin, Dacarbazine, Adriamycin and Vinblastine. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, on the other hand, is often treated with a combination of Adriamycin, Prednisone, Cyclophosphamide and Vincristine. These drug combinations are generally administered in carefully designed cycles spaced three or four weeks apart.
Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is a new mode of treatment for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that employs a special kind of protein called an antibody to treat lymphatic cancer. These antibodies are designed to bind to small proteins that are found on the surface of the cancer cells. Once these antibodies have bound to a cancer cell, the body's immune system then attacks and kills the cancerous cells.
Stem Cell Transplants
In some cases, the only way to effectively treat a lymphoma is through the use of very high doses of chemotherapy. One of the side effects of prolonged chemotherapy, however, is damage to the bone marrow. Giving the patient stem cells from bone marrow or blood is one way to counteract this damage. These stem cells may be from the patient or from a donor. After the chemotherapy has been given and the patient has had some time to recover, the stem cells are then injected into the veins. These stem cells will then migrate to the bone marrow and reconstitute the damaged bone marrow tissue. This type of therapy, according to the American Cancer Society, is becoming more prevalent, because it allows physicians to prescribe chemotherapy regimens that would otherwise completely destroy the bone marrow.
Tags: bone marrow, stem cells, American Cancer, American Cancer Society, cancer cells, Cancer Society, lymphatic cancer