Breakthrough Treatments for Neurolymphomatosis

A cancer diagnosis is never good news. Along with handling the diagnosis at hand, there are problems that can arise as a result of the cancer even after a patient is in remission. Although survivors can and should be able to relax during remission, it’s important to be aware of some of the issues and conditions to be on the lookout for even during this stage. Among the complications that can occur from cancer are secondary diseases and medical issues. Neurolymphomatosis (NL) is one such condition that can develop in people currently battling or in remission from lymphoma. 

Getting diagnosed with cancer is a difficult event for anyone since, along with processing the diagnosis itself, there are also issues concerning what can arise as a result of the cancer, even when the patient has entered remission. It is important for cancer patients to be aware of certain problems and conditions during the remission period. Among the complications that can occur due to cancer are secondary diseases and other accompanying medical issues. Neurolymphomatosis is one such condition that can develop in an individual who is battling or is in the remission period from lymphoma.

Neurolymphomatosis is the infiltration of either the peripheral or the central nervous system due to the cancerous cells. This condition is commonly found in the aggressive B-cell type of NHDL. One can also develop neurolymphomatosis along with lymphoma. Some of its symptoms include loss of motor control, sensory deprivation, and pain. Due to a lack of clinical information about neurolymphomatosis, there are as yet no guidelines regarding it, and very little has been recorded on how to treat this condition. Chemotherapy is found to be of only moderate help for a short duration.

However, a new method was recently identified for the treatment of neurolymphomatosis. It includes a combination of bendamustine and rituximab. Bendamustine is said to be very effective in treating any recurrence of indolent lymphoma cancer, but there is not enough evidence of this medicine being able to cross the blood-nerve barrier which, in the case of neurolymphomatosis, is a must. There is still a lack of recommendation as well as data explaining how to carry out this treatment method. Neurolymphomatosis is a very difficult condition to diagnose and even harder to treat due to a lack of proper information and understanding about it. Every patient experiences varied symptoms, and MRI scans are a bit unreliable in terms of this disease. Currently, diagnoses with PET scans were found to be the best in determining the presence of neurolymphomatosis if other tests were inconclusive.

It is difficult to find medications that can cross the blood-brain barrier as well as the blood-nerve barrier, both of which are known to be aspects of threat and thus are necessary for treatment. Currently, clinical trials are being conducted to find the best treatment method for neurolymphomatosis. Even though clinical trials for rare forms of disease are uncommon, it is important not to give up hope that one day there will be a standardized treatment plan for neurolymphomatosis. Until the correct form of treatment is discovered, it is important for cancer patients to schedule regular appointments with their doctor, even when they are in their remission period, to keep an eye out for this and other secondary issues. They should also keep their health insurance policies active so that finances do not get in the way of their treatment.