aggressive, high-grade NHL and transplant

ldaigle
ldaigle Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1
My husband, 49 years old, was dx with aggressive, high-grade stage 1 NHL last summer. He presented with pain in the left lower back and it became increasingly severe over a 3 week period. At first they thought muscle problem (we play a lot of tennis and had just returned from a vacation) then kidney stone, but a CT scan finally showed an area of enlarged lymph nodes in the left retroperitoneal (near the kidney, deep in the torso). A needle biopsy confirmed NHL but there was a disagreement form the pathologists as to whether it was diffuse, B-large-cell or some other kind. The decision form our local onco and the team at Dana Farber where we went for a 2nd opinion was to treat it with 6 rounds of CHOP without Rituxan and they all thought it would disappear. The theory is that the more aggressive the cancer, the better it responds to chemo.

9 rounds of chemo later (4 chop, 2 ice, 2 hyper-CVAD and 1 CVAD)we are preparing for an unrelated donor stem-cell transplant. The tumor has proven to be chemo-resistant and goes away, but returns in a matter of days to its original size between treatments. We are now attempting to reduce its size using radiation in order to get it into remission as much as possible for the transplant.

I know his chances are diminishing each time the tumor returns, but is there anyone out there who has faced this dilemma? I am pinning my hopes on the transplant but fear the tumor will comeback even after. I desperately need some words of encouragement about now. Thanks..

Comments

  • 2xsurvivor
    2xsurvivor Member Posts: 1
    #2
    This is the same kind of lymphoma that I have but I have not had any transplants
  • mmatt4u
    mmatt4u Member Posts: 1
    #3
    I also have aggressive, high-grade NHL, I was diagnosed in Sept, and they have tried pretty much all the same chemo's you guys have gone through. After the fourth round of chop, the tumors(mine are in my chest)began to return, so then they talked about sending m to UVA for transplants, but I dont have a sibling match, the best I have is my brother who was a 4 out of 6 match. So anyway, now they are sending me to Duke's adult bone marrow transplant center. They are going to try a new trial called anti-tenacin treatments, basically what this is is a radiation treatment where they attach a radiation cell to a glucose cell, and this then attacks tenacin proteins, which the have found sorround lymphoma cancer cells. Anywyay this starts sometime in the next couple of weeks. If they can get this to work on the tumors then they'll do a transplant. I don't know if this helps any, but you guys are not the only ones going through this. If there are any other questions I might can answer please feel free to ask.

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