Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphocytes, which are white blood cells that help fight off infection and disease. Lymphoma often leads to swollen lymph nodes throughout the body, feverish symptoms and excessive sweating at night. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a specific type of lymphoma, will cause an estimated 20,210 deaths and 65,540 new cancer diagnoses in the United States in 2010, according to the National Cancer Society. Patients diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma may undergo a number of therapies to treat their disease.
External Radiation Treatment
A common treatment for non-Hodgkin's large B-cell lymphoma is radiation treatment, used to kill cancer growth within specific regions of the body. Doctors may irradiate clusters of enlarged lymph nodes or regions containing cancerous lymphocytes in an effort to slow or stop cancer growth in these areas. External radiation treatment involves targeting a beam of radiation through the skin into areas of cancer growth and exposes lymphoma cells to high doses of damaging radiation. Once the radiation enters the cell, it damages the cells' DNA and promotes the formation of free radicals--chemicals that go on to damage DNA as well as other parts of the cell. Ultimately, cells exposed to excessive radiation die, leading to tumor shrinkage at the radiation site.
Immunoradiotherapy
Another treatment option for non-Hodgkin's large B-cell lymphoma is immunoradiotherapy, according to LymphomaInfo.net. This is a form of internal radiation, where doctors concentrate radioactive particles around the cancer cells, allowing the treatment to irradiate the tumor and kill the cancer from the inside. Radioimmunotherapy makes use of proteins called monoclonal antibodies, designed to recognize specific factors on the surface of lymphoma cells. When introduced into the body, the antibodies bind to the target lymphoma cells, and a radiation emitted from the radio-antibody damages and kills the attached cell. The use of internal radiation allows for a shorter duration of treatment, minimizing the time patients must suffer with the side effects of radiation treatment.
Chemotherapy
Patients with non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma may also receive chemotherapy to fight their disease. Chemotherapy drugs travel throughout the bloodstream, damaging rapidly dividing cells, such as cancerous lymphoma cells. The drugs may damage the lymphoma cells' DNA, damage the structural support for the cell or prevent cellular division. Over time, chemotherapy leads to lymphoma cell death. HealthCommunities.com indicates that the treatment for non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma may involve the use of single agent therapy, which is treatment with one chemo drug, or combination therapy, which is treatment with two or more drugs. Although an effective treatment for several forms of non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphoma, chemotherapy drugs can also cause a number of side effects including anemia, hair loss, nausea and fatigue.
