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Blood Cancer and Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL)

Radiation Therapy

The role of radiotherapy - otherwise known as radiation therapy - for the treatment of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) depends on the type and stage of disease, as well as the health status of the patient. With new improvements in chemotherapy, radiotherapy has been modified or even eliminated for some types of lymphoma. The exceptions are early-stage low-grade lymphomas, which often can be treated by radiotherapy alone, as well as lymphomas of certain organs, such as the eye.

Radiotherapy uses high-energy, ionizing radiation (e.g., gamma rays) to kill cancer cells. Radiotherapy can be delivered in many ways: (1) by a radiotherapy device, which is used outside of the body, "external beam radiation," in a manner similar to that of an x-ray machine; (2) by injection of a short-lived radioactive chemical such as radioactive phosphorus (32P) into the body;or (3) implantation (surgical placement) of radioactive material in or near a tumor, called "implant radiation."