Radiation therapy can be curative for Stage I and some Stage II cases of Hodgkin's Disease. Chemotherapy for Hodgkin's Disease Chemotherapy drugs are administered by mouth or injection to destroy the cancer cells. The drugs enter the blood stream and can, therefore, reach areas of the body where the cancer may have spread. Chemotherapy for Hodgkin's Disease always involves the use of a number of different drugs. This allows several different types of cancer cells to be destroyed at the same time.
Chemotherapy is a type of systemic treatment, which means that it affects all areas of the body.
Multiple drug chemotherapy has been exceptionally effective for most cases of Hodgkin's Disease. Marrow Transplant - This type of treatment is sometimes used if the cancer becomes resistant to regular chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Some of the patient's own bone marrow is first taken out using a special needle. Very high doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy are then administered to destroy the cancer cells that have become resistant to regular doses. These high doses are more lethal than regular doses, but also destroy bone marrow that has not been removed from the body.