Non-Hodgkin lymphoma

There may be little or no benefit to treatment if the lymphoma is very slow growing and not causing any symptoms. It may be the best option for you as you will still be closely monitored, but you won’t have any of the side-effects that treatment can cause. Watch and wait can last for months or even years.

Check-ups 

During this time, you will have regular check-up visits and all the support you need. Your doctors will check your condition with physical exams, blood tests and possibly scans. Based on these results, they can decide when it’s time to start treatment and look at your options.

What should I look out for? 

Watch for any symptoms like high temperatures or fevers, night  sweats, weight loss or poor appetite, or an itchy rash. These might mean the lymphoma is becoming active. Tell your medical team if you have symptoms.

Worried about not having treatment?

It is natural to feel uneasy and worried if you are not receiving treatment. In fact, you may feel that your doctors are doing nothing about your lymphoma. You may even think that you are too old to treat or that the disease is too advanced. Remember watch and wait is a recognised standard of care if you have no symptoms. It also means you avoid any harmful side-effects of treatment. 

When does treatment begin?

Your doctor might start treatment when symptoms develop. For example, if your lymph nodes are getting larger or new ones are affected. You might also need treatment if your blood cell count has decreased, and you feel unwell, or your bone marrow or other organs are affected. However, treatment can be delayed for as long as you are well.

High-energy X-rays are aimed at a cancer to cure or shrink it. The X-rays are only aimed at the lymphoma. Radiotherapy may be used on its own when the lymphoma is found in one or two groups of lymph nodes in the same part of your body. It may also be given after a course of chemotherapy. 

Radiotherapy can also be used if the lymphoma is found in the fluid around your brain or if there is a high risk that it may develop there. Read more about radiotherapy.

There is a risk that some lymphoma cells may be left behind after radiotherapy, increasing the risk of the disease relapsing. In this case, your doctor may advise a short course of chemotherapy or targeted/immunotherapy drugs, given either before or after radiotherapy. 

Read more about targeted therapies for lymphoma.

Steroids can help to kill the lymphoma cells and to improve how chemotherapy works. They can also help with side-effects like feeling sick.

Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. A number of chemotherapy drugs may be given to bring about remission. Over the years, you may receive several courses of treatment, sometimes a repeat of the same treatment or a different drug. Steroids may also be given as well. 

Read more about chemotherapy.

Monoclonal antibodies are the type most commonly used. Read more about targeted therapies for lymphoma.

Using high-energy rays to target the cancer cells. Radiotherapy might be given to the small area of affected lymph nodes and nearby nodes. Read more about radiotherapy.

All the blood cells in your bone marrow are destroyed with high-dose chemotherapy or radiotherapy and replaced with healthy stem cells. Transplants are not suitable for every patient. Transplants are not common and are only used if the lymphoma has come back. Read more about stem cell transplants.