Innovations in Therapy for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Vol. 31 No. 5 • May 2006 • P&T® 273 INTRODUCTION Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) is the most common cancer of the lymphatic system. Since the early 1970s, the incidence of NHL has nearly doubled. Overall, the five-year survival rate is 59%. Of the nearly 500,000 Americans with lymphoma, approximately 332,000 have NHL. Each year, more than 56,390 new cases of NHL are diagnosed and 19,200 Americans die of the disease. NHL has grown from a relatively uncommon disease to being the fifth most common cancer in the U.S. The reasons for this are not clear, but promising research is under way to improve the prognosis for patients with NHL. Lymphoma is manifested when an error occurs in the way a lymphocyte is produced, resulting in an abnormal cell. The exact cause is unknown. The cancerous lymphocytes can grow in many parts of the body, including the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, blood, or other organs. There are more than 30 subtypes of lymphoma, including five types of Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) and more than 25 types of NHL. Lymphoma is the most common blood cancer and the third most common cancer of childhood. NHL is broadly divided into two major groups: