Lymphoma

Our multidisciplinary lymphoma care teams include hematologists, pathologists, radiologists, advanced practice nurses, and oncology nurses who have decades of experience and can provide a comprehensive and coordinated approach to treating lymphoma.  As blood cancer experts, our care teams will determine your specific type of lymphoma and develop a treatment plan that targets your cancer most effectively.

Lymphocytes help you fight infection and are part of your lymphatic, or immune system.  Lymphoma can affect any part of your lymphatic system, which is made up of lymphocytes, lymph nodes and vessels, the spleen and bone marrow.

The two main types of lymphoma are:

Hodgkin lymphoma: one of the most curable blood cancers, but less common than non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma: affects mostly adults and is one of the most common cancers in the United States. There are many types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma and it may be slow growing (indolent) or fast growing (aggressive).

Diagnosing your particular type of lymphoma is a crucial part of providing you with the right treatment. Diagnosis of lymphoma is done with a biopsy, which involves examination by a pathologist of tissue or cells obtained by removing all or part of a lymph node.

Staging determines the extent of spread of the disease. A complete staging workup may include a physical exam, blood work, CT and/or PET scans, bone marrow biopsy, and sometimes a lumbar puncture.

For patients with biopsies performed at outside facilities, the tissue samples are re-evaluated by Winship hematopathologists to confirm the diagnosis. Winship radiologists also may review CT and/or PET scans from outside facilities.

Chemotherapy: Each type of lymphoma is sensitive to different combinations of chemotherapy, which may involve one or a combination of anticancer drugs that destroy cancer cells.

Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplantation: This treatment consists of destroying cancerous bone marrow cells using higher doses of chemotherapy and in some cases, radiotherapy, and then replacing them with healthy bone marrow or stem cells to help patients regain a new and healthy immune system. Winship has pioneered many advances in bone marrow transplant procedures and drugs.

Targeted therapy: The use of monoclonal antibodies provided the first targeted therapy for lymphoma. Several are now routinely used to treat lymphoma.

Some forms of lymphoma may also be treated with one therapy or a combination of radiation therapy, biologic therapy, and even surgery, primarily to obtain a biopsy for diagnosis.

CAR T-cell Therapy: This is an emerging form of immunotherapy recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). During treatment, a patient's white blood cells are removed from the body and genetically changed to recognize and kill cancerous cells. The re-engineered cells are then infused back into the patient. CAR T-cell therapy is currently being used at Winship for patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Patients with other forms of cancer may be candidates for clinical trials utilizing CAR-T-cell therapy.

In addition to delivering the highest quality medical care, we recognize the importance of the psychological and emotional aspects of living with a cancer diagnosis and of dealing with treatment. Our supportive oncology team addresses these issues in a timely manner with additional support from counselors, nurse navigators, dietitians and social service professionals.

We understand that this is a very stressful time. We welcome your questions and requests for help. Here is more information to help familiarize you with Winship and give you and idea of what to expect on your first visit.