Causes
The causes of lymphoma and leukaemia have not yet been established. However, in Hodgkin''s lymphoma, there appears to be a connection with a virus called the Epstein-Barr virus. This is the virus which causes glandular fever, and Hodgkin''s is often found in people in their 20s. However, the incidence of glandular fever is high among this age group - and the number of Hodgkin''s cases is very low. Treatments
Doctors try to tailor treatments for both lymphomas and leukaemias to fit the variety of disease found. Although many
patients will be
given chemotherapy, different combinations of drugs are often used. The aim is to get the cancer into "remission", which means no evidence of cancer can be found on scans or blood tests. Often, leukaemia patients are given short, intensive courses of
chemotherapy through a tube left linked into a main blood vein in the chest. Sometimes, drugs are injected through a tube directly into the spinal column or brain to reach the cells there. This may require the
patient to stay in hospital for the duration of treatment. Lymphoma patients are also often given chemotherapy. This can be a combination of eight different drugs. However, if the cancer does not appear to have spread far, then radiotherapy may be an option. Both leukaemia and lymphoma patients sometimes need to have bone
marrow transplants, particularly if the first chemotherapy treatment fails and more powerful drugs have to be used. The bone marrow is found at the centre of the body''s larger bones, such as in the spine and upper leg, producing blood cells and helping the body fight infection. If high-dose chemotherapy is to be used, this may permanently damage the bone marrow, so it has to be replaced afterwards. The patient can be given drugs to stimulate the production of cells vital to rebuilding the bone marrow, which are then harvested and replaced after the treatment. Or a donor may have to be found whose bone marrow is an exact
match for the patient. A close relative may be able to provide a match, but this is far from certain. The Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust keeps a register of 130,000 volunteers who are all prepared to give bone marrow if they prove a match for a patient. This increases the chances of an unrelated match being found.
More abstracts about the LEUKAEMIAS &LYMPHOMAS-2