What You Need to Know about Hodgkin's Lymphoma Methods of Treatment Radiation therapy and chemotherapy are the most common treatments for Hodgkin's disease, although bone marrow transplantation , peripheral stem cell transplantation , and biological therapies are being studied in clinical trials . Depending on the stage of the disease, treatment with radiation may be given alone or with chemotherapy. Radiation treatment for Hodgkin's disease usually involves external radiation , which comes from a machine that aims the rays at a specific area of the body. External radiation does not cause the body to become radioactive. Most often, treatment is given on an outpatient basis in a hospital or clinic.
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells.
Chemotherapy for Hodgkin's disease usually consists of a combination of several drugs. It may be given alone or followed by radiation therapy. Chemotherapy is a systemic therapy , meaning that the drugs enter the bloodstream and travel throughout the body. However, depending on which drugs are given and the patient's general health, a short hospital stay may be needed.