Starting my own journey with Hodkin's Lymphoma

drwrose
drwrose Member Posts: 3 Member
edited June 21 in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1

I'm a 56 year old male, diagnosed last month. I've had one chemo treatment so far, and (my first?) unexpected hospital stay as a result of dealing with the side effects. So much still for me to learn! Glad to meet everyone today!

Comments

  • po18guy
    po18guy Member Posts: 1,499 Member
    #2

    Welcome! But sorry to hear of your current situation. Is it classical Hodgkin's or Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant Hodgkin's? They are actually two substantially different malignancies, with differing treatment and outcomes.

  • drwrose
    drwrose Member Posts: 3 Member
    #3

    Ah, this is a very detail-oriented group! I like that; I need to learn to be more specific when appropriate. My precise diagnosis is Nodular Sclerosis Classic Hodgkin Lymphoma.

    My oncologist had started me on BV-AVD, and I received one treatment of this so far. However, this walloped my gastrointestinal system more than expected, and I ended up in the hospital with hyponatremia after being unable to eat for a couple of days. But fortunately for me, there's a new regimen for my specific kind of lymphoma that's on the cusp of broader adoption, replacing Brentuximab vendotin with Nivolumab. This new N-AVD regimen has shown tremendous promise, even outperforming BV-AVD, so my doctor wants to switch me to this new regimen as soon as we can persuade my insurance that it's a legitimate option. In the meantime, I'll be taking at least a week of plain AVD (eliminating BV for now to reduce the traumatic side effects on my GI tract).

    Cutting edge technology, that's me!

    David

  • po18guy
    po18guy Member Posts: 1,499 Member
    #4

    Well, medical science "at the speed of science" has finally determined/admitted that NLPHL is not actually a Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The World Health Organization is moving to re-classify it to "Nodular Lymphocyte Predominant B-Cell Lymphoma. It is an indolent B-Cell variety and the almost ancient regimen of ABVD is being phased out as treatment. That is a good thing, as the "B" in ABVD is Bleomycin, technically an antibiotic, but which is known for toxicity to the lungs.

    Of the drugs you are receiving, I have received only one. Adcetris (Brentuximab Vedotin) is a new-gen antibody-drug conjugate which is a brilliant idea. Very effective against cancer cells which express "CD30", it is known for producing some peripheral neuropathy, however. The other drugs in AVD include Doxorubicin (Adriamycin - also technically an antibiotic), also known as "red devil" or "red bull." It can have some later skin-related effects (hand and foot syndrome) that are not nice. The Vinblastine and Dacarbazine have their own effects.

    I would suppose that doctor may reduce the level of one or more of the drugs, or perhaps increase treatment intervals.

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