Chemotherapy for Hodgkin lymphoma uses drugs to kill lymphoma cells. It is
called systemic therapy because the drugs travel through the bloodstream.
The drugs can reach lymphoma cells in almost all parts of the body.
Usually, more than one drug is given. Most drugs for Hodgkin lymphoma are
given through a vein (intravenous), but some are taken by mouth.
Chemotherapy is given in cycles. You have a treatment period followed by a
rest period. The length of the rest period and the number of treatment cycles
depend on the stage of your disease and on the anticancer drugs used.
You may have your treatment in a clinic, at the doctor's office, or at home.
Some people may need to stay in the hospital for treatment.
The side effects depend mainly on which drugs are given and how much. The
drugs can harm normal cells that divide rapidly:
Blood cells: When chemotherapy lowers the levels of healthy blood cells,
you are more likely to get infections, bruise or bleed easily, and feel very
weak and tired. Your health care team gives you blood tests to check for low
levels of blood cells. If levels are low, there are medicines that can help
your body make new blood cells.
Cells in hair roots: Chemotherapy may cause hair loss. If you lose your
hair, it will grow back, but it may be somewhat different in color and
texture.
Men: Chemotherapy may damage sperm cells. Because these changes to sperm
may be permanent, some men have their sperm frozen and stored before
treatment (sperm banking).
Women: Chemotherapy may damage the ovaries. Women who may want to get
pregnant in the future should ask their health care team about ways to
preserve their eggs before treatment starts.
Some of the drugs used for Hodgkin lymphoma may cause heart disease or cancer
later on. See the Follow-up Care section for information about checkups after
treatment.
You may want to ask your doctor these questions before having chemotherapy:
Which drugs will I have? What are the expected benefits?
When will treatment start? When will it end? How often will I have
treatments?
Where will I go for treatment? Will I be able to drive home
afterward?
What can I do to take care of myself during treatment?
How will we know the treatment is working?
What side effects should I tell you about? Can I prevent or treat
any of these side effects?
Hodgkin's Disease - Symptoms At Onset Of DiseaseQuestion: The symptoms of hodgkin's disease can vary greatly from patient to patient. What were your symptoms at the onset of your disease?
Night sweats are severe hot flashes that occur at night and result in a drenching sweat. In order to distinguish night sweats that arise from medical causes from those that occur because one's surroundings are too warm, doctors generally refer to true night sweats as severe hot flashes occurring at night that can drench sleepwear and sheets, which are not related to an overheated environment.
Leukemia is a type of cancer of the blood cells in which the growth and development of the blood cells are abnormal. Strictly speaking, leukemia should refer only to cancer of the white blood cells (the leukocytes) but in practice it can apply to malignancy of any cellular element in the blood or bone marrow, as in red cell leukemia (erythroleukemia).
Lymph nodes help the body's immune system fight infections. Causes of swollen lymph nodes (glands) may include infection (viral, bacterial, fungal, parasites). Symptoms of swollen lymph nodes vary greatly. They can sometimes be tender, painful or disfiguring. The treatment of swollen lymph nodes depends upon the cause.
HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is the cause of AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). HIV is a type of virus called a retrovirus, which infects humans when it comes in contact with a break in the skin or tissues such as those that line the vagina, anal area, mouth, or eyes.
Nausea is an uneasiness of the stomach that often precedes vomiting. Nausea and vomiting are not diseases, but they are symptoms of many conditions. The causes of vomiting differ according to age, and treatment depends upon the cause of nausea and vomiting.
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is cancer of the lymphatic system, a vital part of the body's immune system. Symptoms include swollen lymph nodes, fever, night sweats, coughing, weakness, chest pain, unexplained weight loss, and abdominal pain. Treatment depends on which type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma you have, the stage of the cancer, your age, how fast the cancer is growing, and whether you have other health problems.
Stress occurs when forces from the outside world impinge on the individual. Stress is a normal part of life. However, over-stress, can be harmful. There is now speculation, as well as some evidence, that points to the abnormal stress responses as being involved in causing various diseases or conditions.
Although a fever technically is any body temperature above the normal of 98.6 degrees F. (37 degrees C.), in practice a person is usually not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 degrees F (38 degrees C.). Fever is part of the body's own disease-fighting arsenal: rising body temperatures apparently are capable of killing off many disease- producing organisms.
Melanoma is a type of skin cancer which begins in skin cells called melanocytes and affects more than 53,600 people in the United States each year. These melanocytes can grow together to form benign moles which, after a change in size, shape, or color can be a sign of melanoma. Caused by sun exposure, early detection becomes extremely important to avoid a spread to other areas of the body. Diagnosis is confirmed through a biopsy of the abnormal skin and treatment depends on the extent and characteristics of the patient.
Chest pain is a common complaint by a patient in the ER. Causes of chest pain include broken or bruised ribs, pleurisy, pneumothorax, shingles, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, angina, heart attack, costochondritis, pericarditis, aorta or aortic dissection, and reflux esophagitis. Diagnosis and treatment of chest pain depends upon the cause and clinical presentation of the patient's chest pain.
Cancer is a disease caused by an abnormal growth of cells, also called malignancy. It is a group of 100 different diseases, and is not contagious. Cancer can be treated through chemotherapy, a treatment of drugs that destroy cancer cells.
Eye floaters are deposits or condensation that forms in the eye's vitreous humor. These deposits cast shadows on the retina, and as the eye moves, the deposits shift position, making it appear as though the shadows are moving or floating.
Though it's difficult to say why some people develop cancer while others don't, research shows that certain risk factors increase a person's odds of developing cancer. These risk factors include growing older, family history of cancer, diet, alcohol and tobacco use, and exposure to sunlight, ionizing radiation, certain chemicals, and some viruses and bacteria.
Teenagers recognize that they are developmentally between child and adult. Teen health prevention includes maintaining a healthy diet, exercising regularly, preventing injuries and screening annually for potential health conditions that could adversely affect teenage health.
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