Teleconference & response to readers
First, just a reminder about the teleconference on Wednesday, August 23 from 12:30 to 1:00. Sign up at www.lymphomainnovations.com. There will be a webcast for about 10 minutes about treatment options followed by a question and answer period during which Dr. John Leonard and I will answer your questions. Dr. Leonard is the Medical Director of the Center for Lymphoma and Myeloma at New York Presbyterian Hospital - Cornell.
I also want to respond to a couple of reader comments. First, a reader with T cell lymphoma asked if there is an option other than chemotherapy for second line treatment. My understanding is that about 85% of the lymphomas are B cell and the remaining 15% are T cell lymphomas. Mort and I both had B cell lymphomas, and while I can't speak for him, I know very little about the treatment for T cell lymphomas - so it is difficult to answer the question. However, I would offer the same advice, and that is to research ALL possible treatment options, including clinical trials. The National Cancer Institute website is a great place to begin searching. The site is located at www.cancer.gov.
The second comment was from a reader whose doctor said "nothing can be done." Mort also responded to this comment, and I want to further assure the reader that "nothing could be done" is not the same as "nothing should be done at this time" which may refer to watchful waiting until treatment becomes necessary. There are many treatments available for lymphomas of all kinds, and as we have said many times, the newer treatments offer more hope than ever before.
Radioimmunotherapy specifically has been approved for four years now, and scientists are learning how to integrate it in the array of treatment options. There is growing enthusiasm to use it earlier in treatments for folllicular lymphoma, and I believe it is being tested on aggressive lymphomas, transformed lymphomas and other types as well. Again, check the clinical trials and ask your doctor about it.
Also, refer to Mort's entry of August 8 for telephone numbers to call for help in locating a physician familiar with RIT.
Betsy