How is B-Cell Lymphoma Treated?
Good therapies exist for B-cell lymphoma, and the vast majority of children do very well. The therapy(s) chosen depend on the exact diagnosis and whether the disease has spread.
The standard treatment for B-cell lymphoma is chemotherapy. If the disease is located in one area of the body (localized), the treatment plan may include surgery and a short, less intensive course of chemotherapy. If the disease is more advanced, the treatment usually includes high-dose chemotherapy.
Some patients also need radiation therapy. Cincinnati Children’s is one of only a few children’s hospitals that offer proton therapy. This type of radiation therapy uses a highly precise proton beam. The beam destroys cancer cells while minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissues and organs. As a result, patients have fewer short-term side effects or long-term complications of traditional radiation therapy.
Treatment Beyond Standard Therapies
About 90% of children and young adults with B-cell lymphoma are cured with standard therapies. But sometimes, B-cell lymphoma resists treatment or returns after a time of remission. When this happens, the care team at Cincinnati Children’s considers using intensive chemotherapy in combination with other therapies, such as:
- Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT)
- Targeted B-cell agents
- Immunotherapy, including chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy using Kymriah and Yescarta
Cincinnati Children’s is one of the first pediatric hospitals certified to provide CAR-T therapy.
Some of these therapies are available only through clinical trials. To learn more about available lymphoma clinical trials, contact us at cancer@cchmc.org or 513-636-2799.