Lymphoma

You’ll be cared for by specialist doctors and nurses who are cancer care experts. Our clinical nurse specialists (CNS) work with the doctors to coordinate your care and offer ongoing support. They will give you their contact details at your first appointment. They can offer your support and advice in person, when you’re at the hospital, and by phone when you’re at home.

There’s more information about the people involved in your care on our Meet the blood conditions team web page. 

If your GP thinks you might have lymphoma, they may refer you to UCLH for further tests such as: 

• Blood tests 
• Lymph node biopsy 
• Imaging 
• X-ray  
• CT scan 
• MRI scan  
• PET/CT scan  
• Bone marrow biopsy  
• Lumbar puncture

These tests help your doctor confirm the stage and type of your lymphoma, which is important for planning your treatment.

A multidisciplinary team (MDT) of lymphoma specialists will plan your care. Before agreeing a plan, they will: 

• recommend treatment options for you
• explain the risks and benefits
• listen to your personal wishes

You will have time to ask questions and talk to friends or family before you start your care plan. Treatment options include: 

• Watch and wait — regular monitoring for low-grade lymphoma if you feel well 
• Chemotherapy — medicines to destroy cancer cells 
• Radiotherapy — uses high-energy x-rays to treat a specific part of your body 
• Targeted treatments — medicines that directly attack and kill cancer cells  
• CAR T-cell therapy — uses your own immune cells to kill cancer cells 
• Steroids— often combined with chemotherapy 
• Stem cell transplant — a procedure that replaces damaged or destroyed stem cells in your bone marrow with healthy stem cells. We may offer you this if your lymphoma is likely to return, has returned or hasn’t responded to other treatments 
• Clinical trials — find current clinical trials at UCLH on our blood conditions research and find a study web pages 

After treatment we will arrange follow-up care to monitor your health, check for signs the cancer has come back, and manage your side effects. Your follow-up may include in-person or telephone appointments with your doctor or CNS. They will give you your individual follow-up plan. 

Patient-initiated follow-up 

Your doctor or CNS will inform you if you are suitable for patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU). This means you can contact your CNS directly if you have a concern rather than having routine appointments. They will arrange an appointment for you to see your doctor if needed. Learn more on our PIFU for lymphoma web page. 

When to contact us 

Call your CNS if you notice any of the following: 

• A new lump 
• Cough, breathlessness or other chest symptoms that don’t go away 
• Abdominal symptoms such as unexplained pain that doesn’t go away 
• Itching or a rash that won’t go away 
• Unexplained weight loss 
• Unexplained fevers over 380C 
• Recurrent night sweats 
• Nerve symptoms such as numbness, tingling or limb weakness 
• Brain symptoms such as sight, memory or balance problems 
• Extreme tiredness 
• Any new symptom that is worrying you. 

How might I feel when my treatment has finished? 

Some people can find it challenging after treatment ends. Some people feel relieved, while others feel anxious without regular hospital appointments. People can be more worried if they still have treatment side effects.  

If you’re struggling to cope after your treatment finishes, contact your CNS or get support from the following organisations:

• UCLH Macmillan Support and Information Service 
• Lymphoma Action 
• Macmillan Cancer Support