Join the 'Lymphoma' group to help and get support from people like you. How it works
Experimental Drug Helps Fight Some Childhood Cancers, Study Finds
Posted 11 days ago by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, May 16 – A new targeted drug therapy may help treat certain advanced cancers in children, a new preliminary study indicates. In some cases, the oral medication even made tumors disappear after regular cancer treatments had failed, the researchers reported. "This is an exciting first step, and it looks very promising for kids who have had very few options," said study author Dr. Yael Mosse, an assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of oncology at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Mosse is scheduled to present the findings on June 2 at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago. However, ASCO released the results during a news conference Wednesday. Funding for the study was provided by the drug's manufacturer, Pfizer Inc. The new drug is called crizotinib (Xalkori), and it targets abnormalities in a gene called ALK that's present in ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma, Xalkori, Crizotinib
More Aggressive Chemo May Help Younger Lymphoma Patients: Study
Posted 27 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Nov. 24 – Higher doses of chemotherapy with less time between treatments may benefit younger people suffering from aggressive lymphomas, such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (one of the most common and aggressive forms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), according to new research. A study published online Nov. 24 in The Lancet found this intensive form of chemotherapy, when combined with the monoclonal antibody drug rituximab, may reduce recurrence of the disease and increase survival rates among patients under 60 years of age. The researchers said these younger patients are about twice as likely to remain in remission after three years versus those given rituximab plus the standard chemotherapy treatment known as CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone). In conducting the study, researchers led by Dr. Herve Tilly of the University of Rouen in France gave ... Read more
Related support groups: Prednisone, Lymphoma, Rituxan, Rituximab, Cytoxan, Adriamycin, Cyclophosphamide, Vincristine, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Sterapred, Oncovin, Liquid Pred, Sterapred DS, Bleomycin, Deltasone
'Mini' Stem Cell Transplant May Help Seniors With Blood Cancer
Posted 1 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Nov. 1 – Age in itself should not be a factor in deciding whether blood cancer patients are candidates for stem cell transplantation, according to a new study. Blood cancers include leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. For the study, researchers analyzed long-term outcomes among 372 blood cancer patients aged 60 to 75 who underwent a "mini-transplant," which is a "kinder, gentler" form of allogeneic (cells from another person) stem cell transplantation developed at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle. The five-year rates of overall survival and disease progression-free survival among the patients were 35 percent and 32 percent, respectively. Comparable survival rates were seen when the patients were divided into three age groups – 60 to 64, 65 to 69, and 70 to 75 – suggesting that age plays a limited role in the success of the mini-transplant. While a survival ... Read more
Related support groups: Leukemia, Lymphoma, Multiple Myeloma
As One Life Starts, Another May Be Saved
Posted 7 Oct 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, Oct. 7 – A mother cuddling her newborn baby may not know it, but the process that created a new life also has given her the chance to save another. Blood contained in the umbilical cord and placenta is a rich source of stem cells that can be used to treat leukemia, lymphoma and many other life-threatening diseases, according to the National Marrow Donor Program. However, many expectant mothers don't know that they can donate cord blood after childbirth. Others don't donate because they are concerned the process might be expensive or risk the health of their newborn. "Less than 5 percent of parents are storing their children's cord blood," said Frances Verter, founder and director of the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation. "That's just a tragedy because it's medically important and there is no danger to mother or child from donation." Cord blood is considered valuable ... Read more
FDA Approves Adcetris to Treat Two Types of Lymphoma
Posted 19 Aug 2011 by Drugs.com
August 19, 2011 - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) to treat Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and a rare lymphoma known as systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). Lymphomas are cancers of the lymphatic system. Adcetris is an antibody-drug conjugate that combines an antibody and drug, allowing the antibody to direct the drug to a target on lymphoma cells known as CD30. Adcetris is to be used in patients with HL whose disease has progressed after autologous stem cell transplant or after two prior chemotherapy treatments for those who cannot receive a transplant. Autologous stem cell transplant is a procedure using a patient’s own bone marrow that is designed to repair damaged bone marrow after the use of high chemotherapy doses. Adcetris may also be used in patients with ALCL whose disease has progressed after one prior chemotherapy t ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma, Lymphoma, Hodgkin's
FDA Grants Accelerated Approval of Istodax As Treatment for Patients with Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma Who Have Received at Least One Prior Therapy
Posted 20 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
SUMMIT, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 17, 2011 - Celgene Corporation today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted accelerated approval for its Supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) for an additional indication for Istodax (romidepsin) for injection for the treatment of peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) in patients who have received at least one prior therapy. Istodax is also approved for the treatment of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) in patients who have received at least one prior systemic therapy. These indications are based on response rate. Clinical benefit such as improvement in overall survival has not been demonstrated. The PTCL approval was based on a priority (6 month) review by the FDA. Priority reviews are reserved for serious and life-threatening conditions that have an unmet medical need. The Istodax sNDA approval is based upon results ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma, Romidepsin, Istodax
Most Leukemia Patients Recover From 'Chemo Brain' After Transplant: Study
Posted 6 May 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, May 6 – A decline in memory and fine-motor skills is common among patients who undergo a bone marrow or stem cell transplant to treat leukemia or lymphoma, but most patients return to normal within five years, according to a new study. Previous research has shown that the chemotherapy drugs these patients take before transplantation and medicines they take to prevent rejection of the transplanted cells can affect memory and motor skills. This study looked at how long it takes them to recover from those problems, often referred to as "chemo brain." The study included 92 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, acute leukemia, lymphoma or myelodysplastic syndrome, in which the bone marrow does not function normally. The patients had received an allogeneic (cells donated by another person) bone marrow or stem cell transplant. After treatment, the patients' memory and motor skills ... Read more
Breast Implants, Lymphoma Link Seen
Posted 19 Apr 2011 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, April 19 – New research suggests a link between breast implants and a rare form of lymphoma, but it's not known if the implants actually cause the cancer or how the disease might develop. The researchers, from the nonprofit RAND Corporation, also found that this type of lymphoma (a type of immune system cancer) progresses slowly and can be treated by surgical removal of the breast implant and surrounding capsule. The findings are published in the April 15 online edition of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Concerns about a possible link between breast implants and anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) were first raised in 1996 with the publication of a report by doctors who described the case of a woman with implants who developed ALCL in tissue next to one of her implants. Since then, similar published reports have estimated that between one case and three cases ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma
Gene Mutation Suggests New Treatment Target for Specific Lymphoma
Posted 22 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 22 – Researchers have identified a gene mutation that may offer a target for new treatments for a type of lymphoma. The team found that a mutation of the MYD88 gene is one of the most frequent genetic abnormalities in patients with this cancer, known as large B cell lymphoma. The MYD88 gene encodes a protein that is crucial for normal immune response to invading microorganisms. The mutation identified in this study can cause uncontrolled cellular signaling, resulting in the survival of malignant cells. A subgroup of the large B cell lymphoma that has a dismally low cure rate – known as the activated B cell-like (ABC) subtype – appears particularly susceptible to the gene. Lymphoma is a cancer of the blood that starts in white blood cells. Diffuse large B cell lymphoma, in turn, is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in which white blood cells known as lymphocytes multiply ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma
Study Adds to Evidence That Rituximab Slows Lymphoma Symptoms
Posted 21 Dec 2010 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Dec. 21 – New research provides more evidence that treating certain lymphoma patients with an expensive drug over the long term helps them go longer without symptoms. But the drug, called rituximab (Rituxan), does not seem to significantly increase life span, raising questions about whether it's worth taking. People with lymphoma who are considering maintenance treatment "really need a discussion with [their] oncologist," said Dr. Steven T. Rosen, director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center at Northwestern University in Chicago. The study involved people with follicular lymphoma, one of the milder forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, a term that refers to cancers of the immune system. Though it can be fatal, most people live for at least 10 years after diagnosis. There has been debate over whether people with the disease should take Rituxan as maintenance therapy ... Read more
Study Finds Big Strides Made in Treating Leukemia, Lymphoma in Past Decade
Posted 24 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 24 – Clinicians have made remarkable advances in treating blood cancers with bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants in recent years, significantly reducing the risk of treatment-related complications and death, a new study shows. Between the early 1990s and 2007, there was a 41 percent drop in the overall risk of death in an analysis of more than 2,500 patients treated at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, a leader in the field of blood cancers and other malignancies. Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, who conducted the study, also noted dramatic decreases in treatment complications such as infection and organ damage. The study was published in the Nov. 24 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine "We have made enormous strides in understanding this very complex procedure and have yielded quite spectacular results," said study senior ... Read more
Related support groups: Hairy Cell Leukemia, Leukemia, Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), Lymphoma, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Cutaneous T-cell Lymphoma, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, Follicular Lymphoma, Acute Nonlymphocytic Leukemia, Infection Prophylaxis, Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia
Seaweed May Help Treat Lymphoma
Posted 11 Mar 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, March 11 – Seaweed extract has the potential to become a treatment for the immune system cancer known as lymphoma, according to the results of preliminary research. In the study, researchers experimented with compounds derived from seaweed and used them to treat the types of lymphoma that are classified as being in the B-cell group. "Some forms of B-cell lymphoma are especially resistant to standard treatment, and thus new therapies are needed," Mohammad Irhimeh, assistant professor of hematology/oncology and stem cells at the Hashemite University in Jordan, said in a news release from the American Association for Cancer Research. Scientists had previously reported that a compound called fucoidan, found in seaweed, appears to kill tumor cells in mice and human cells. In the new study, Irhimeh and his colleagues tested human lymphoma cells with a type of seaweed extract that ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma
Statin Use Doesn't Inhibit Lymphoma Drug Therapy
Posted 9 Dec 2008 by Drugs.com
TUESDAY, Dec. 9 – Cholesterol-lowering statin drugs don't interfere with rituximab, a medication used to treat lymphomas, say Mayo Clinic researchers, who also found that statins may actually slow progression of some kinds of lymphomas. Rituximab is a monoclonal antibody often used alone or in conjunction with chemotherapy to treat lymphomas – cancers of the lymph system. A study published earlier this year suggested that statins may inhibit rituximab's ability to bind to CD20, a protein found on lymphoma cells. "That finding raised questions about maintaining or stopping cholesterol treatment with statins for patients with lymphoma," Mayo hematologist Dr. Grzegorz Nowakowski said in a clinic news release. "One in five lymphoma patients take cholesterol-lowering statins. This corresponds to the potential for thousands of patients at risk of getting less or ineffective treatment due to ... Read more
Related support groups: Lymphoma
Ask a Question
Further Information
Related Condition Support Groups
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Conjunctival Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue Lymphoma, Blood Disorders
Related Drug Support Groups
prednisone, methotrexate, cortisone, dexamethasone, Decadron, Adriamycin, Velcade, Leukeran, interferon alfa-2a, view more... chlorambucil, Ontak, Deltasone, Velban, Folotyn, Methotrexate LPF Sodium, Sterapred, Sterapred DS, Liquid Pred, Adrenocot, doxorubicin, thiotepa, vinblastine, denileukin diftitox, nelarabine, Adcetris, Orasone, Meticorten, pralatrexate, Dexpak Taperpak, Adriamycin RDF, Prednicen-M, Decaject, Dalalone, Adriamycin PFS, Cortone Acetate, Medidex LA, Prednicot, Thioplex, Baycadron, Medidex, Decadron-LA, Solurex LA, Dexacen-4, Hexadrol, Folex PFS, Roferon-A, brentuximab, Arranon, Solurex, bortezomib, Dexone LA, Primethasone, Dexacorten, Dexone, Dexasone LA, De-Sone LA, Dexacort-LA, Dexasone, Trexall