University of Southern California Announces Hodgkin's Lymphoma Breakthrough
There is a need for new treatment
Chemotherapy and radiation are often used to treat Hodgkin's lymphoma, and can have powerful results - even leading to full remission in many cases. However, around one out of five patients who receive these therapies will either relapse or be unresponsive to the treatment, leading to a need for further options. Chemotherapy, radiation, and other treatments that are currently available do offer high five-year survival rates, at around 85 percent, side effects must also be considered when analyzing the treatment. Many will experience significantly heightened risks to cardiovascular disease, pulmonary fibrosis, and secondary cancers after the use of chemotherapy or radiation. While some believe these risks are worth the progress being made in the battle against their respective diseases, ideally an option should be available that can provide the same power against the cancer itself, without leading to alternative susceptibilities.
