Your Care
West Cancer Center is positioned as the region’s comprehensive leader in adult cancer and hematology care. Our nationally-renowned team of hematologists and oncologists at West Cancer Center offers an unparalleled lymphoma treatment plan for patients across the Mid-South region – collaborating with West’s leaders in hematologic oncology, radiation therapy, research and our Blood and Marrow Transplant program to provide each patient with most individualized care possible.
Your Diagnosis
Lymphoma is a cancer of the body’s disease-fighting network called the lymphatic system. This system includes your lymph nodes, thymus gland, spleen and bone marrow. Lymphoma can affect all of these areas, as well as potentially affect other organs throughout the body. There are many types of lymphoma, but the two most common types of lymphomas are Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Your treatment will depend upon your lymphoma type.
A patient with lymphoma symptoms may have one or more of the following procedures to determine your diagnosis:
- Physical Exam: your physician will likely perform a physical exam to check for swollen lymph nodes and for any swelling in the spleen or liver.
- Imaging: your physician may perform one or more imaging tests – including CT scan and/or PET scan – to diagnose your cancer.
- Blood tests: a sample of blood is tested to determine potentially abnormal levels or anything else in your blood that may indicate the possibility of cancer.
- Bone marrow aspiration and biopsy: a procedure to collect and examine bone marrow. This procedure is used to diagnose and monitor blood and marrow diseases.
Your Treatment Plan
Your lymphoma treatment plan will vary depending on your type of lymphoma. Your dedicated team of hematologists and cancer experts will discuss your treatment options and plan with you, allowing you and your loved ones to consider all possible treatment options for your diagnosis.
Potential treatment options for your diagnosis include:
- Chemotherapy: a drug therapy designed to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells, chemotherapy is often used with radiation therapy in the treatment of lymphoma.
- Radiation therapy: radiation therapy is the use of high-powered radiation beams to kill cancer cells and is often used with chemotherapy to treat lymphoma. To learn more about Radiation Oncology and the types of radiation therapies offered at West Cancer Center, click here.
- Blood & stem cell transplantation: this treatment includes destroying cancerous bone marrow cells through chemotherapy and, in some cases, radiation therapy. These cells are then replaced with healthy stem cells through stem cell transplantation. To learn more about West Cancer Center’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, click here.
