Some children with early-stage Hodgkin’s lymphoma who respond to initial chemotherapy may not need subsequent radiotherapy, according to recent research.
If confirmed in larger trials, this could allow such children to be spared from the potential side effects of radiotherapy. These include long-term effects such as a slightly increased risk of a second cancer in later life.
Treatment for children with the Hodgkin’s lymphoma is determined by how advanced their disease is, and whether or not they have symptoms such as night sweats and weight loss.
Doctors have suspected that some children with the best outlook could receive just chemotherapy, and avoid radiotherapy. <Read More>
Hodgkin’s lymphoma is found in 850 to 900 children and adolescents each year and accounts for an estimated 6 percent of all childhood cancers. The disease strikes the lymph system, which includes the lymph nodes, tonsils and other immune system components.
More long-term research on personalized care for Hodgkin’s needed…
