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Treatment Option Overview
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There are different types of treatment for children with
Hodgkin lymphoma.
Different types of treatment are available for children with Hodgkin lymphoma. Some treatments are standard and some are being tested in clinical
trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to
help improve current treatments or obtain information on new treatments for
patients with cancer. When clinical
trials show that a new treatment is better than the
standard treatment, the new
treatment may become the standard treatment.
Because cancer in children is rare, taking part in a clinical trial
should be considered. Clinical trials are taking place in many parts of the
country. Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the
NCI Web site. Choosing the most appropriate cancer treatment is a
decision that ideally involves the patient, family, and health care
team.
Children with Hodgkin lymphoma should have their treatment
planned by a team of health care providers with expertise in treating childhood
cancer.
Treatment will be overseen by a pediatric oncologist, a doctor who specializes
in treating children with cancer. The pediatric oncologist works with
other pediatric health care providers who are experts in treating children
with Hodgkin lymphoma and who specialize in certain areas of medicine. These
may include the following specialists:
Two types of standard treatment are used:
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body (systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed directly into the spinal column, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). Combination chemotherapy is treatment using more than one anticancer drug. The way the chemotherapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy x-rays or other types of radiation to kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of radiation therapy. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters that are placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation therapy is given depends on the type and stage of the cancer being treated.
New types of treatment are being tested in clinical trials.
These include the following:
High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell
transplant
High-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant is a way of giving high doses of chemotherapy and replacing blood-forming cells destroyed by the cancer treatment. Stem cells (immature blood cells) are removed from the blood or bone marrow of the patient or a donor and are frozen and stored. After the chemotherapy is completed, the stored stem cells are thawed and given back to the patient through an infusion. These reinfused stem cells grow into (and restore) the body's blood cells.
Surgery
Surgery may be done to remove as much of the tumor as possible.
This summary section refers to specific treatments under study in
clinical trials, but it may not mention every new treatment being studied.
Information about ongoing clinical trials is available from the
NCI Web site.
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