Hodgkins Disease and non Hodgkins Lymphoma – What’s the Difference?

In Hodgkins disease the biopsy contains a type of cell called a Reed-Sternberg cell. This type of cell is not present in non Hodgkins lymphoma. There are quite a lot of different non Hodgkins lymphoma types.

However, all lymphomas are treated either by radiotherapy or chemotherapy and, in some instances, both. The treatment given depends on the exact diagnosis so one person’s treatment may be different to another’s.

Staging

Staging is a way of describing the spread of lymphoma and is used to decide upon treatment.

For instance, you may have been diagnosed as having Hodgkins disease 3A. The numbers and letters are used to show which parts of the body are affected, and what problems the lymphoma is causing. 3 means that lymph nodes in both the upper and lower body are affected. A means that you do not have major symptoms.

Radiotherapy for Hodgkins Disease and non Hodgkins Lymphoma – How it Works

Radiotherapy uses powerful x-rays which are pointed at the lymphoma cells in order to destroy them. The beam of x-rays has to be carefully positioned so that it gets all the lymphoma cells, but as few good cells as possible. Various marks are made on the skin with a special marker pen to ensure that exactly the right area is treated. However, it is often necessary to shield healthy tissue near the disease from the radiation. This is done by placing blocks of lead, or some other high density alloy, in the path of the radiation beam. A tray will be fixed to the head of the machine, and the blocks of lead attached to this tray in carefully demarcated positions.

If you are being treated for disease in the head and neck area, it is likely that you will also need to visit a mould room where 'shells' are made of clear, thin perspex. These shells help to keep the head still during treatment and will fit like a mask. These are very important in ensuring the radiation is targeted to precisely the right area. One advantage of a shell is that you will not need to have marks drawn on your skin as all the reference marks are transposed onto the shell.

Side Effects to Treatment of Hodgkins and non Hodgkins Disease

Everyone reacts in their own way to treatment. Here are some of the side effects listed though you may prefer to wait and see how treatment affects you:

&Mac183; Tiredness may be experienced just after a radiotherapy treatment and may build up over time
&Mac183; You may experience tiredness for a while even when all your treatments are finished
&Mac183; You may feel sick but this usually goes away quickly
&Mac183; Your skin may be very tender, rather like sunburn, but hospital staff will tell you how to look after your skin and may give you a special cream
&Mac183; Hair will be lost if the x-rays enter or exit your body through a hairy part of your skin
&Mac183; You may experience either diarrhoea or constipation if you are having radiotherapy to the abdomen
&Mac183; If your throat or neck is treated your mouth may be dry or sore and you may have difficulty swallowing

If you experience any of the above symptoms you should tell someone, as there are remedies to help counteract the above.

Chemotherapy for Hodgkins Disease and non Hodgkins Lymphoma – How it Works

The aim of chemotherapy is to destroy all the lymphoma cells in the body. In order to do this, a combination of drugs is chosen depending on the type of lymphoma you have, where it is, your age etc. This is sometimes called a ‘cocktail’. How much of each drug you are given, and how often, is called the treatment regimen and regimens have names usually made up from the first letters of the drugs involved. The drugs in the cocktail work in different ways; for example, one drug may stop nourishment getting into lymphoma cells so that existing cells die. Another drug interferes with the lymphoma cells when they are on the point of dividing so that they cannot increase in number.

Steroids for Hodgkins and non Hodgkins disease

The steroids used to treat lymphoma are not the same as anabolic steroids, which are banned from sport. Your steroid treatment may increase your appetite and cause some weight gain temporarily and you will be given a blue ‘steroid card’ which you should carry for about two years.

Stem Cell Transplant

A stem cell is a blood cell, which is at an early stage of development in the body, and has not yet decided whether it is going to be a red, white or platelet cell. Stem cells are very useful after high dose chemotherapy. They are put back into the blood stream and the body turns them into whatever cells it most needs.

Sometimes, when it is necessary to give an extra large amount of chemotherapy drugs the bone marrow takes much longer to start making blood cells again. Therefore, before the chemotherapy is given, stem cells are collected from the blood and are given back to you by transfusion after chemotherapy so that they swim back to the marrow.

How chemotherapy is given for Hodgkins and non Hodgkins disease

Chemotherapy drugs are often prepared in liquid form and may be injected or dripped from a plastic bag into a vein in the arm using a narrow tube and a needle taking up to an hour or so. Sometimes a minor operation is carried out whereby a tube is put into a larger vein via a small hole in the chest. The tube, or line, stays there throughout your treatment, which may be 3 to 6 months. This is known as a Hickman or central line and hospital staff will discuss the method they plan to use.

Side Effects to Treatment for Hodgkins and non Hodgkins disease

Everyone reacts in their own way to treatment. Here you will find some of the side effects to lymphoma treatment listed though you may prefer to wait and see how treatment affects you:

Here you can get back to the main site for Lymphoma Information for Young People.