Lymphoma treatments

The choice of a treatment is determined at a multidisciplinary consultation meeting (MCM), which brings together different specialists, as part of a collective decision. This choice depends on several factors, in particular, the type of lymphoma, its stage, and several individual characteristics, such as the general condition of the patient, their medical history.

For some patients, treatment is not necessary. Those with indolent lymphoma and no symptoms will only be monitored and treated in the consultation setting. Conversely, patients with aggressive lymphoma and symptoms, usually require treatment initiated during hospitalization in the hematology department of Institut Curie, within a unit that specializes in the management of blood diseases.

As part of this traditional or day hospitalization, a dedicated team supports patients by providing medical assistance relating to hematology. Such assistance includes a consultation with a doctor and a nurse aimed at sharing the news of the illness with the patient, and creating a treatment plan by a coordinating caregiver. In the event of an emergency during their treatment, the patient can contact the Hematology Department of Institut Curie and their doctor during the day, as well as the night medical first responder at Institut Curie.

The therapeutic arsenal is based on various treatments, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, radiotherapy, etc. - and it is becoming more and more effective as it evolves on a regular basis.

For chronic lymphoid leukemia, initial management depends on the severity of the disease and most often consists of simple monitoring by the hematologist.

Treatment plan is always established within the framework of a multidisciplinary consultation meeting with hematologists, radiologists, and biologists. Thus, in the event of large lymph nodes, anemia, thrombocytopenia, or a very rapid increase in the number of lymphocytes, treatment will be offered.

Treatments for CLL involve:

• Targeted therapeutics, which specifically target mechanisms involved in the development of tumor cells. The treatment is administered orally and continuously over several months.
• And/or immunotherapy involving the use of a monoclonal antibody, which attaches to the CLL cell. The treatment is administered intravenously or subcutaneously at regular intervals every few weeks.

Chemotherapy for lymphoma

For many types of lymphomas, chemotherapy, which uses drugs to destroy cancer cells, is often used as the first step of treatment. It can be administered alone or in combination with other treatments.

Learn more about chemotherapy at Institut Curie

Immunotherapy for lymphoma

In some situations, immunotherapy is administered alone to treat lymphomas, but more often it is used in combination with chemotherapy.

Immunotherapy consists of administering monoclonal antibodies, specifically directed to destroy the cells of the disease. Recent innovations have made it possible to develop so-called "bispecific" antibodies. This new therapeutic tool binds to cancer cells and normal T cells at the same time, which leads to activating the immune system and redirecting it to eliminate cancer cells.

Learn more about immunotherapy at Institut Curie

Radiotherapy for lymphoma

Radiotherapy is sometimes administered to treat certain highly localized lymphomas or at the end of treatment for certain Hodgkin's lymphomas. The use of high-energy radiation makes it possible to preserve neighboring healthy tissues as much as possible.

Learn more about radiotherapy at Institut Curie

Targeted therapy for lymphoma

The drugs used in targeted therapy specifically treat cancer cells based on their molecular characteristics. They interfere with these molecular abnormalities and the mechanisms at the origin of the development of cancer cells. The objective? To prevent the spread of the tumor. Some lymphomas are now treated directly by targeted therapy, often in combination with immunotherapy, allowing an approach that omits chemotherapy.

Cell therapies for lymphoma

Autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation makes it possible to administer chemotherapy at higher doses to eliminate residual lymphoma cells, and thus reduce the risk of disease relapse. Following chemotherapy, the autologous hematopoietic stem cells, that is to say those of the patient, are reinjected to allow the reconstitution of the different blood cells.

A new therapy based on the CAR-T cell technique (chimeric antigen receptor for T cells) has been used more and more often as of late. This revolutionary treatment consists of collecting the patient's T cells that will be later reprogrammed in the laboratory to enable them to specifically recognize lymphoma. These modified cells are then injected back into the patient.

Institut Curie is home to the CellAction (Cell Therapy Acceleration and Innovation) platform, which is integrated into the Paris-Saclay Cancer Cluster (PSCC) and which offers numerous medical-scientific expertise and cutting-edge equipment. It is dedicated to developing these forms of cell and gene therapies aimed at fighting cancers. All conditions are met to implement and monitor all types of projects - target discovery and validation, cellular engineering, proof of concept, pre-clinical research… right up to the product being completely ready for manufacturing.