Intensive radiation or chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant has a number of potential serious side effects, including life-threatening infections, bleeding, damage to the liver, kidneys, lungs or heart, and subsequent leukemia. There is little, if any, evidence of patients with low-grade lymphomas benefiting from the procedure, according to NCI's Cheson. Also, bone marrow transplants are usually not effective in NHL patients whose tumors do not respond to chemotherapy. Research is also under way to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of monoclonal antibody therapies in NHL patients. Monoclonal antibodies are synthetic antibodies that latch onto specific substances called antigens.
Some antigens are unique to lymphoma cells.
Researchers have designed monoclonal antibodies directed towards these lymphoma antigens. The antibodies may be attached to radioactive compounds or toxins that kill cells. Monoclonal antibody therapy is designed to more selectively target cancer cells, resulting in less severe side effects than standard therapy. Researchers are also testing the anti-cancer potential of a number of compounds produced by immune cells. These compounds, which include interleukin 2 and alpha interferon, are usually given in addition to standard chemotherapy or radiation therapies.