NHL - B-cell Slow growing?

Question

My boyfriends dad has NHL and the chemo and rutuxin are not working, the tumor is non operable. Is there any hope that radiation might work to shrink this tumor down to a shell?

Answer 1

Depends on the type of B cell lymphoma. Is it a follicular lympoma, diffuse large B cell lymphoma, MALT lymphoma.

In general nearly all lymphomas do respond to radiation well. Slow growing lymphomas tend to have rather low cure rates although they tend to spread and grow slowly so you can live decades with some low grade lymphomas

Intermediate grade lymphomas are more curable but if you're not cured they recur quicker and can shorten life.

Aggressive lymphomas-radiation isn't used as much, usually aggressive chemotherapy, although radiation is good for relieving symptoms and does shrink tumors. These tumors spread, recur and take life quickly.

If its a follicular lymphoma and its stage I or II there can be cures with radiation but you also can recur years down the road. Usually doses of 30 to 40 Gy in 15 to 20 daily fractions is given just to the involved field (gross node plus a bit of normal tissue around it). There may be 40% of people still disease free 15 plus years later.

Answer 2

this is something the oncologist can answer, if there is hope for radiotherapy to be effective, they would refer the patient to radiation oncologists, good luck