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Hodgkin's lymphoma has many young patients. New drugs can reduce recurrence and help alleviate the disease.
Lymphoma originates in the lymphatic system and is an in situ cancer. It can be roughly divided into two categories: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Hodgkin Lymphoma. Although the former is far more common, Hodgkin's lymphoma has gradually attracted attention because its patients include young people in their twenties and thirties. Fortunately, the cure rate of Hodgkin's lymphoma is high. Even if it recurs, drug treatment that can target specific antigens and reduce side effects can still be used to "shrink" the cancer to the point where autologous bone marrow transplantation can be performed to achieve remission.
Dr. Lu Kaizu, a specialist in medical oncology, said that there are two high-risk age groups for the onset of Hodgkin's lymphoma, mainly those between 20 and 30 years old, followed by those between 60 and 70 years old. The initial symptom is swollen lymph nodes in the neck, but if fever, night sweating or weight loss occurs, B symptoms appear, which means the tumor is more malignant and the prognosis is poor.
Dr. Lu Kaizu pointed out that it is necessary to extract a whole lymphocyte nucleus for testing to confirm that the patient is suffering from Hodgkin's lymphoma. After that, computer scan, positron scan, blood test and bone marrow extraction are required to know the extent of the tumor spread. Only by determining the stage and taking into account the patient's physical condition can an appropriate treatment plan be formulated.
The diaphragm is the dividing line
The staging is divided by the diaphragm. If there is a tumor in one lymph gland on one side of the diaphragm, it is Stage 1; If there is a tumor in two lymph glands on one side of the diaphragm, it is Stage 2; If there are tumors in the lymph nodes on both sides of the diaphragm, it is Stage 2 Stage 3; Tumors that affect internal organs, such as the liver, lungs, and bone marrow, are in Stage 4. Each period is divided into A and B according to whether there are specific symptoms. Those with no symptoms are A, and those with symptoms such as fever, night sweats or weight loss are B.
Hodgkin's lymphoma is a cancer with a high curability rate, and is generally treated with drugs rather than surgery. Dr. Lu Kaizu said that because most of the patients are young, high-dose chemotherapy is generally not used to avoid long-term effects on bone marrow cells and increase the risk of blood cancer.
Currently, after patients in Stage 1, 2 and 3 A have completed 2 to 3 courses of chemotherapy and electrotherapy covering a small area, the cure rate has reached 90%. In stages 3B and 4, chemotherapy is the main treatment. Although the cure rate can reach 50%, many patients will relapse and develop drug resistance, so that the tumor cannot be almost disappeared.
New drug helps shrink tumors
The general remedial approach is to use high-dose chemotherapy to shrink the tumor to the point where autologous bone marrow transplantation can be performed to achieve remission. In addition to second-line chemotherapy drugs, the new drug Brentuximab vedotin will now be used to further help shrink tumors. This new drug is an antibody-drug complex (ADC) injection that can specifically attack tumors containing the CD30 antigen and deliver chemotherapy ingredients into cancer cells to kill them. Dr. Lu Kaizu said that the new drug will not harm cells without CD30 antigen, and the side effects can be reduced. Even after autologous bone marrow transplantation, the injection can be continued 4 to 6 times to reduce the chance of recurrence.
In addition to the above ADC injections, Dr. Lu Kaizu said that immunotherapy will also be a new treatment option.
