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Treatments for childhood primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma
The following are treatment options for childhood primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. The healthcare team will suggest treatments based on your child’s health and specific information about the lymphoma. Treatments are often based on the stage or risk group.
Treatments for newly diagnosed childhood primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma
The main treatment for newly diagnosed childhood primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma is chemotherapy along with targeted therapy.
Chemotherapy and targeted therapy
Chemotherapy is the main treatment for childhood primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma. Chemotherapy is given along with targeted therapy.
Chemotherapy drugs are given in different combinations based on different treatment plans (protocols). The most common drug combination is:
- etoposide (Vepesid)
- prednisone
- vincristine (Oncovin)
- cyclophosphamide (Procytox)
- doxorubicin (Adriamycin)
- rituximab (Rituxan)
Treatments for recurrent childhood primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma
Radiation therapy may be used in recurrent (relapsed) childhood primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma if there is a localized tumour in the mediastinum and if radiation therapy was not used as part of the first treatment course.
For widespread relapsed disease, high-dose chemotherapy followed by an autologous stem cell transplant is often used.
Immunotherapy with pembrolizumab (Keytruda) may be used to treat childhood primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma that is refractory (has not responded to treatment) or relapsed (has come back after treatment).
Clinical trials
Children with cancer may be treated in a clinical trial. Clinical trials look at new ways to prevent, find and treat cancer. Find out more about clinical trials.
autologous
Referring to DNA, cells, tissues or organs taken (harvested) from a person’s own body to be stored and given back to the same person.
For example, in an autologous stem cell transplant, blood or bone marrow is taken from a person, stored and later given back to the same person.
Autologous transplant is also called autotransplant or autograft.
Taking action against all cancers
The latest Canadian Cancer Statistics report found that of all newly diagnosed cancers in 2017, half are expected to be lung, colorectal, breast and prostate cancers. Learn what you can do to reduce the burden of cancer.
