Lymphoma Treatment | Penn Medicine

The right treatment for lymphoma depends on several factors. A hematologist (blood cancer doctor) can help you determine the best options based on:

Age
General health
Type of lymphoma
Whether the cancer has spread into your blood or other parts of your body

Lymphoma Treatment Options

Penn Medicine has every weapon to fight lymphoma — from traditional cancer treatments to the newest advances. Treatments may be given alone or in combinations.

Active Surveillance

Some forms of lymphoma grow very slowly, so your health care team might suggest that you wait to treat the disease. The team will monitor you regularly and start treatment when:

Disease causes symptoms
Lymphoma interferes with your daily activities
Test results (such as blood tests and imaging) indicate it's time to treat

Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT)

A bone marrow transplant (hematopoietic stem cell transplant) is often used for patients with lymphoma that comes back after treatment.

Before transplantation, you receive high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy to destroy any remaining lymphoma cells. Then our experts infuse healthy bone marrow cells into your body through a vein.

Within a few weeks, the new bone marrow starts producing healthy blood cells. BMT is usually an inpatient procedure and requires a few weeks in the hospital. But the process is painless, and you'll be awake (similar to blood transfusion).

Options for bloodless transplantation are offered for populations who can't receive blood products.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is one of the main tools used to treat lymphoma. Chemotherapy medications are chemicals that kill lymphoma cells. They may be taken as pills or infusions into your veins.

CAR T Cell Therapy

CAR T cell therapy is one of the newest, most advanced ways to treat certain types of B cell lymphoma. We take T cells (immune cells) from your blood, then engineer them to fight lymphoma. We infuse the engineered cells back into your body to directly target the tumor cells.

Penn was a pioneer in CAR T cell therapy and continues to lead the field in research and treatment.

Immunotherapy

Cancer cells make proteins that can help them hide from your body's immune system. So your body may not recognize cancer cells to fight them. Immunotherapy interferes with that process, taking advantage of your own immune system to kill lymphoma cells.

The number of approved immunotherapy drugs is growing rapidly. We offer all of the latest lymphoma immunotherapies. We also participate in research to find the next generation of lymphoma treatments.

Radiation

Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, uses high doses of radiation to damage or kill lymphoma cells. Depending on your diagnosis, we may use X-rays or other high-energy beams on a specific area of your body. Or we may deliver whole-body radiation.

Penn was one of the first centers in the United States to offer proton beam radiation. This type of radiation uses a very focused beam of radiation, reducing effects on nearby tissues.

Targeted therapy

Targeted molecular therapies are useful in certain types of lymphoma. These treatments attack specific parts of cancer cells to stop their growth or kill them. They may work when chemotherapy and other treatments don't.

Certain tests can show whether targeted treatments can help against the type of lymphoma you have.

Supportive Care

Your treatment team will also help you with many other aspects of successful lymphoma care. We offer many types of patient and family support services, including:

Financial and insurance issues
Mental health and emotional needs as you cope with diagnosis and treatment
Nutrition to maximize your health
Transportation help if you need it

Clinical Trials

Penn Medicine is a pioneer in research to find new treatments for blood cancers. Our team is always participating in lymphoma clinical trials to discover the next generation of effective lymphoma treatments. So our patients have access to many clinical trials of the latest, most promising options.

Lymphoma Treatment: The Penn Medicine Advantage

If you choose the Penn Medicine Blood Cancer Program for your lymphoma treatment, you'll find:

Innovative treatment options: We offer every type of treatment for lymphoma, including the newest, most advanced options. Our options include immunotherapy, CAR T cell therapy, and bloodless transplantation.
Specialized expertise: Lymphoma treatment has changed significantly in the past few years. New treatments are now available for very specific subsets of patients. Our physicians have special training and experience exclusively in lymphoma and its subtypes. Our lymphoma team can choose the appropriate therapy based on the details of your case.
Help for even the most complex cases: Because we offer the most advanced treatment options, we can treat the most complex cancers. Even if treatment elsewhere has not been successful, we might have a new, up-and-coming option for you.
A history of leadership in lymphoma treatment: Penn is a longstanding international leader in the treatment of hematological malignancies. We helped develop many of the current treatments and teach others around the world about effective treatment.