Lymphoma: Higher rates of survival on the horizon – The Straits Times
By daniellenierenberg
To keep you healthy from day to day, your body has its own in-built, germ-fighting network.
This network is also known as the lymphatic system, made up of different vessels and organs in your body, from the lymph nodes to the bone marrow. Lymphoma is the name of the cancer that affects this system.
There are many types of lymphoma but Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, affecting the B-lymphocytes that produce antibodies which help your body fight infections.
According to the World Health Organizations guidance on classifying tumours, DLBCL accounts for 30 to 40 per cent of newly diagnosed cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma globally.1
In Singapore, Dr Daryl Tan Chen Lung, who specialises in haematology and practises at Mount Elizabeth Hospitals, estimates that lymphoma is the fifth most common cancer in Singapore.2
Unlike other cancer patients, DLBCL patients hardly have any contributing factors to the development of the condition not even hereditary ones though people with existing HIV infections are more prone to getting DLBCL.
As a result of this, and also because lymphoma is less common than other cancers like breast or lung cancer, regular medical check-ups do not test for its genetic indicators. Instead, patients seek medical help only when they spot early symptoms, says Dr Tan. A growing awareness of lymphoma World Lymphoma Awareness Day takes place on Sept 15 each year and better diagnostics measures have led to much earlier detection of the cancer today, compared to a decade ago.
Dr Tan says that early symptoms of DLBCL include lumps in the neck or groin. Sometimes, other organs like the spleen and bone marrow can be affected. However, some patients show no obvious symptoms beyond abdominal pain, fever and loss of weight. It is thus especially important to seek medical attention should you display any of the common symptoms of lymphoma including swollen lymph nodes in the neck, armpit or groin, a persistent fever, excessive night sweats and unexplained weight loss.
Dr Tan adds that the median age of DLBCL patients in Singapore is 60 to 65, though a very small number of patients in their 20s are diagnosed with a subtype of the cancer known as primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma.
While DLBCL is an aggressive cancer, the good news is that it is highly treatable in the early stages.
Current therapies for treating first-line DLBCL include chemotherapy, chemo-immunotherapy a combination use of chemotherapy and immunotherapy and stem cell transplant in certain groups of patients. About six in 10 of these patients will respond to their treatment3 and not suffer a relapse within the next five years.
This has a huge impact on younger patients who are then able to resume their daily life and go back to work, for example.
Dr Tan remembers a female patient in her early 20s whose career was just taking off. She was admitted with fever and breathlessness. After performing scans on her, it was discovered that there was fluid surrounding her heart and lungs, and she had a tumour in her chest the size of a rugby ball.
Fortunately, because the cure rate for DLBCL is high, the patients condition has since gone into remission.
A combination of chemo-immunotherapy drugs is commonly recommended as a first-line treatment in DLBCL. Radiation therapy or stem cell transplant can also be included as part of the treatment.
However, about four in 10 patients may not eventually respond to these therapies or suffer from a relapse.3 When this happens, treatment options are limited. Some patients can undergo a stem cell transplant, but about half of them are not eligible.4 This group includes older patients with compromised immune systems.
While affected patients can consider continuing with chemotherapy and chemo-immunotherapy, there are new promising treatment options on the horizon, including targeted therapies such as CAR T-cell therapy. These targeted therapies involve using the patients own immune cells also known as T cells or molecules that bind a chemotherapy agent to an antibody to fight cancerous blood cells.
Beyond that, there are also treatment options known as combination therapy. Previously, patients suffering a relapse have had to rely on existing, first-line treatment, which may or may not be effective in combating the cancer. Combination therapy uses the collective effect of different medications to target different areas of cancerous B-cells and destroy them.
Says Dr Tan: [The medical community is] seeing progress in DLBCL immunotherapy. The current cure rate is about 70 per cent. Hopefully, we can increase the number to 80 per cent or more. But we mustnt rest on our laurels as we hope to focus on the 20 per cent of patients who still dont respond to any treatments.
For more information on lymphoma and treatment options, please speak to your healthcare specialist.
1. Lyon, France. World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues. IARC Press; 2008.2. SingHealth. (n.d). Lymphoma. Retrieved on 30 Sept 2020. (https://www.singhealth.com.sg/patient-care/conditions-treatments/lymphoma)3. Maurer, MJ et al. Event-free survival at 24 months is a robust end point for disease-related outcome in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with immunochemotherapy. J Clin Oncol. 2014; 32: 1066-73.4. Gisselbrecht C, Van Den Neste E. How I manage patients with relapsed/refractory diffuse large B cell lymphoma. Br J Haematol. 2018;182:633643.
Read more here:
Lymphoma: Higher rates of survival on the horizon - The Straits Times
- Resilient anatomy and local plasticity of naive and stress haematopoiesis - Nature.com - March 26th, 2024
- A Deeper Depth of Response After Salvage Therapy Improves Outcomes of Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in ... - Cureus - March 26th, 2024
- Iron restriction keeps blood stem cells young, researchers find - Phys.org - March 18th, 2024
- Blood drive, bone marrow testing to be held in local woman's memory - The Winchester Star - March 18th, 2024
- Signal of Benefit for Stem Cell Therapy in Progressive MS - Medscape - March 10th, 2024
- Woman, 22, With Leukemia Recalls Symptoms And New Treatment She Received: EXCLUSIVE - TODAY - March 10th, 2024
- This Swedish startup wants to reduce the cost, and controversy, around stem cell production - TechCrunch - March 10th, 2024
- Outcomes and prognosis of haploidentical haematopoietic stem cell transplantation in children with FLT3-ITD mutated ... - Nature.com - March 10th, 2024
- Harmonizing definitions for hematopoietic recovery, graft rejection, graft failure, poor graft function, and donor ... - Nature.com - March 10th, 2024
- Hematopoietic cell transplantation and cell therapy activity landscape survey in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; a report ... - Nature.com - March 10th, 2024
- How an MS friendship led to HSCT and a love of running - Multiple Sclerosis News Today - March 10th, 2024
- Iron Limitation Preserves Youthfulness of Blood Stem Cells - Mirage News - March 10th, 2024
- Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation in Advanced Systemic Mastocytosis: A retrospective analysis of the ... - Nature.com - March 10th, 2024
- AJMC in the Press, February 23, 2024 - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - February 24th, 2024
- Orca Bio Presents Promising Data on Orca-T in Two Oral Presentations at the 2024 Tandem Meetings of ASTCT and ... - Yahoo Finance - February 24th, 2024
- New approaches to live-track the production of different types of blood cells in mice - Medical Xpress - February 24th, 2024
- If Other Treatments Aren't Working -- Stem Cell Transplant May Be A Good Option In CLL - SurvivorNet - February 24th, 2024
- Expanding the Horizons of Cell and Gene Therapy - RegMedNet - February 24th, 2024
- The strangers who saved each others lives - BBC - February 24th, 2024
- City of Hope Research Featuring the Successful Treatment of the Oldest Patient to Achieve Remission for Leukemia ... - StreetInsider.com - February 15th, 2024
- 3D printing and material processing combined to create artificial bone - Optics.org - February 15th, 2024
- Man, 63, is in remission from HIV five years after receiving groundbreaking stem cell transplant... - The Sun - February 15th, 2024
- Team demonstrates fabrication method to construct 3D structures that mimic bone microstructure - Phys.org - February 15th, 2024
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Their Role in Development and Disease Therapy - The Scientist - February 15th, 2024
- Blood cell family trees trace how production changes with aging - MIT News - February 7th, 2024
- New study on promising stem cell-based therapy for Crohn's disease - Medical Xpress - January 30th, 2024
- Second haploidentical bone marrow transplantation with antithymocyte antibody-containing conditioning regimen for ... - Nature.com - January 30th, 2024
- Stem cell study shows how gene activity modulates the amount of immune cell production in mice - Medical Xpress - January 30th, 2024
- Global Stem Cell Therapy Industry Outlook to 2028, Driven by Therapeutic Innovations and Clinical Advancements ... - Yahoo Finance - January 30th, 2024
- 1st-of-its-kind therapy blocks immune attack after stem-cell transplant - Livescience.com - January 22nd, 2024
- Individualized dose of anti-thymocyte globulin based on weight and pre-transplantation lymphocyte counts in pediatric ... - Nature.com - January 22nd, 2024
- Implications of stress-induced gene expression for hematopoietic stem cell aging studies - Nature.com - January 22nd, 2024
- LVHN announces opening of new stem cell transplant center. Here's what that means for the Lehigh Valley - The Morning Call - January 22nd, 2024
- Fast Five Quiz: Chronic GVHD Risk Factors and Prevention - Medscape Reference - January 22nd, 2024
- Could Treatments for HIV and Sickle Cell Open the Gene Therapy Floodgates? - BioSpace - January 22nd, 2024
- Effects of fine particulate matter on bone marrow-conserved hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells: a systematic ... - Nature.com - January 14th, 2024
- Donating Bone Marrow and Stem Cells: The Process and What To Expect - On Cancer - Memorial Sloan Kettering - January 14th, 2024
- No, Rep. Steve Scalise Didn't Vote Against Stem Cell Research From Which He Is Now Benefiting - Yahoo News - January 14th, 2024
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Market to Grow Rapidly During the Study Period (2019-2032), Evaluates ... - PR Newswire - January 14th, 2024
- Life-saving donation from Philly athlete saves life: 'Feeling so strong, I owe that all to him' - AOL - January 14th, 2024
- The Key to Creating Blood Stem Cells May Lie in Your Own Blood - ScienceAlert - January 14th, 2024
- Dr Phillips on the Rationale for the GLOBRYTE Trial in Relapsed/Refractory MCL - OncLive - January 14th, 2024
- COVID-19 and HSCT Recipients: Risk Factors and Prevention Measures - Medriva - January 14th, 2024
- Bone Marrow Transplant: Heres What You Need To Know About This Therapy - Times Now - January 5th, 2024
- New insights about the development of hematopoietic stem cells - Drug Target Review - December 28th, 2023
- Bone Marrow Transplantation | Johns Hopkins Medicine - December 20th, 2023
- Stem Cell or Bone Marrow Transplant | American Cancer Society - December 20th, 2023
- Embryonic-stem-cell-derived mesenchymal stem cells relieve experimental contact urticaria by regulating the functions ... - Nature.com - December 20th, 2023
- Researchers discover crucial step in creating blood stem cells - Phys.org - December 20th, 2023
- A niche topic: understanding the development of hematopoietic stem cells - Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center - December 20th, 2023
- Vertex developed a CRISPR cure. Its already on the hunt for something better. - MIT Technology Review - December 20th, 2023
- FDA approves cure for sickle cell disease, the first treatment to use gene-editing tool CRISPR - NBC News - December 12th, 2023
- First therapy using CRISPR technology will treat sickle cell disease - Morning Brew - December 12th, 2023
- 7 medical breakthroughs that gave us hope in 2023 - National Geographic - December 12th, 2023
- Understanding Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment - Everyday Health - December 12th, 2023
- Mansour bin Zayed witnesses inauguration of ADSCC Bone Marrow Transplant & Cellular Therapy Congress 2023 - ZAWYA - November 26th, 2023
- ADSCC Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy Congress 2023 to take place in Abu Dhabi - ZAWYA - November 18th, 2023
- Orchard Therapeutics Reports First Quarter 2023 Financial Results and Announces Initiation of Rolling Submission for Biologics License Application of... - May 16th, 2023
- Family of 7-month-old in need of bone marrow transplant hosting donor registration event - CBS Pittsburgh - May 8th, 2023
- Anika Continues to Expand Addressable Market for Tactoset Injectable Bone Substitute with Additional 510(k) Clearance from FDA - Marketscreener.com - April 5th, 2023
- MorphoSys Completes Enrollment of Phase 3 MANIFEST-2 Study of Pelabresib in Myelofibrosis with Topline Results Expected by End of 2023 -... - April 5th, 2023
- VOR BIOPHARMA INC. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations (form 10-K) - Marketscreener.com - March 25th, 2023
- BioRestorative Therapies to Seek FDA Approval to Expand the Clinical Application of BRTX-100 - Marketscreener.com - March 17th, 2023
- BioSenic delivers a new post-hoc analysis of its Phase III JTA-004 trial on knee osteo-arthritis with positive action on the most severely affected... - March 17th, 2023
- JASPER THERAPEUTICS, INC. MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS (form 10-K) - Marketscreener.com - March 9th, 2023
- For a range of unmet medical needs, India offers a fantastic opportunity to push cell and gene therapies: B .. - ETHealthWorld - March 9th, 2023
- NGM BIOPHARMACEUTICALS INC Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations. (form 10-K) - Marketscreener.com - March 1st, 2023
- Bone health: Tips to keep your bones healthy - Mayo Clinic - January 27th, 2023
- Bone marrow drive held for military wife with cancer - January 27th, 2023
- Bone cancer - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic - January 27th, 2023
- Bone | Definition, Anatomy, & Composition | Britannica - January 19th, 2023
- Bone Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster - January 19th, 2023
- What Is Bone? | NIH Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National ... - January 19th, 2023
- Anatomy of the Bone | Johns Hopkins Medicine - January 19th, 2023
- Bone Health: Is Eating Meat Healthy For Your Bones? - January 19th, 2023
- Bone Keeper | Deepwoken Wiki | Fandom - January 19th, 2023
- With blood and plasma donations in short supply, uniting communities to give the gift of life - Toronto Star - January 3rd, 2023
- Side Effects of a Bone Marrow Transplant (Stem Cell Transplant) - December 25th, 2022
- 28-year-old cancer patient at Nebraska Medicine advocates for diversity in bone marrow registry - KMTV 3 News Now Omaha - December 17th, 2022
- Stem Cell Technologies and Applications Market Report 2022-2032 - Yahoo Finance - December 9th, 2022