If you or a loved one was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, understanding your treatment options based on the type, stage, and substage is an important step forward. At Blue Ridge Cancer Care, we provide the most advanced lymphoma treatments to our patients close to home at our locations in Southwest Virginia, including Roanoke, Salem, Blacksburg, Bedford, Lexington, Rocky Mount, Pulaski, Wytheville, Low Moor, Fairlea, and Princeton.
The right treatments for each patient are highly personalized based on the cancer’s characteristics, how quickly it’s growing, and how much it has grown at the time of diagnosis.
Active Surveillance for Certain Lymphomas
Some types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma grow very slowly and may not cause symptoms right away. In these cases, your oncologist may recommend active surveillance, sometimes called watchful waiting.
During active surveillance, you will have regular physical exams, blood tests, and imaging studies. Treatment begins only if the lymphoma shows signs of progression or starts causing symptoms. This approach helps patients avoid treatment-related side effects for as long as possible.
Chemotherapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Chemotherapy uses medications to destroy cancer cells or stop them from growing. It is one of the most common treatments for many types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
Chemotherapy may be given alone or in combination with other therapies. It is often delivered in cycles, allowing the body time to recover between treatments. At Blue Ridge Cancer Care, chemotherapy is administered in our modern infusion center, designed for comfort and convenience for patients from across Southwest Virginia.
Immunotherapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Immunotherapy works by helping the body’s immune system better recognize and attack lymphoma cells. Cancer cells can sometimes hide from the immune system, but immunotherapy helps “unmask” them or enhance the immune response so the body can find and destroy them more effectively.
One of the most common types of immunotherapy for NHL is monoclonal antibody therapy. These medications are designed to attach to specific proteins on the surface of lymphoma cells. Once attached, they can flag the cancer cells for destruction by the immune system or directly cause the cells to break down.
CAR T-Cell Therapy
CAR T-cell therapy is an advanced form of immunotherapy used for certain relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphomas. This treatment involves collecting a patient’s own immune cells, modifying them to better recognize lymphoma cells, and infusing them back into the body.
When appropriate, Blue Ridge Cancer Care helps coordinate access to CAR T-cell therapy while maintaining close communication throughout the treatment process.
Targeted Therapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Targeted therapy focuses on treating specific genetic changes or molecular features within lymphoma cells that help them grow and survive. Instead of attacking all rapidly dividing cells like chemotherapy, these treatments are designed to block the signals or pathways that cancer cells depend on. This slows or stops cancer growth while limiting damage to healthy cells. Biomarker testing will be performed to see if there is a targeted therapy drug available.
Radiation Therapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
Radiation therapy is used less often for lymphomas since the cancer cells are spread throughout the body in the lymph system. However, it may be used to shrink large lymph nodes, relieve symptoms, or treat areas of bulky disease. Our medical oncology team coordinates with the radiation oncologist to determine when radiation should be included in the treatment plan.
Stem Cell Transplant
For some patients, especially those with lymphoma that has returned or did not respond to initial treatment, a bone marrow transplant may be recommended. This procedure includes very high doses of chemotherapy, followed by the replacement of blood-forming stem cells, either from a donor or from cells provided by the patient prior to treatment.
If a transplant is part of your treatment plan, our team will carefully oversee this process with the other providers involved in the bone marrow transplant process.
Treatment for Recurrent or Refractory Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
If lymphoma returns after treatment or does not respond as expected, additional therapy options are available. These may include different chemotherapy combinations, targeted therapies, immunotherapy, CAR T-cell therapy, or clinical trials.
Our team carefully reviews prior treatments and test results to recommend the most effective next step.
Personalized Lymphoma Care Close to Home
At Blue Ridge Cancer Care, we believe patients in Southwest Virginia deserve access to the latest and most advanced lymphoma treatments, including access to clinical research trials.
If you were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, our experienced oncology team is here to guide you through every step of your treatment with expertise, compassion, and a commitment to providing advanced cancer care close to home.
