Aggressive T-cell lymphoma is a severe disease that progresses rapidly and spreads throughout the body. In Germany, the pathology is successfully treated with chemotherapy. In some cases, it is possible to use radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. In severe clinical cases, stem cell transplant may be used. Doctors provide customized treatment based on the histological type and molecular subtype of the tumor.
Content
- What is aggressive T-cell lymphoma?
- Drug therapy
- Radiation therapy
- Stem cell transplantation
The cost of aggressive T-cell lymphoma treatment depends on where you undergo treatment, who performs your treatment and what methods are used. We will help you select a clinic with the best ratio of price and quality of medical services.
It is better to undergo treatment in a clinic whose doctors specialize in lymphoma therapy and achieve significant success: the University Hospital Mannheim, the University Hospital Ulm, the University Hospital Freiburg.
Leave your treatment request on the Booking Health website. We will select a specialized hospital and a doctor, organize travel to Germany, take care of accommodation and interpreting services, as well as about medical insurance. For maximum comfort, a personal medical coordinator will always be in touch with you.
What is aggressive T-cell lymphoma?
Lymphoma is a malignant tumor of lymphoid tissue that most often grows from the lymph nodes but can also develop in many other organs: the spleen, skin, digestive tract, bone marrow, etc.
Lymphoma is divided into lymphogranulomatosis (Hodgkin's lymphoma) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. In turn, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are divided into T-cell and B-cell ones. T-cells are less common. They account for only 15% of cases.
According to the clinical course, lymphomas are divided into indolent and aggressive ones. Although aggressive T-cell lymphoma is fatal in a few months in a natural course, its treatment in developed countries is quite effective. With the help of chemotherapy and other techniques, German doctors can cure many patients.
Drug therapy
The mainstay of treatment for lymphoma is chemotherapy. Doctors rarely perform surgery for this malignant tumor – only in case of life-threatening complications. As a rule, the tumor size can be reduced with drugs. After a course of chemotherapy, in many patients, the tumors disappear entirely. The cost of examination and chemotherapy for aggressive T-cell lymphoma ranges from 14,700 EUR to 18,900 EUR.
In Germany, the chemotherapy regimen is selected individually. It depends on the type of aggressive T-cell lymphoma, the patient's age, the state of his health, and the stage of the disease. Doctors abroad have access to modern drugs that quickly suppress the growth of malignant tumors. Glucocorticoids are often included in the treatment regimen.
With a significant tumor mass, it quickly collapses. As a result, many patients develop tumor lysis syndrome, which often causes complications. Doctors in German clinics use additional drugs to reduce health risks.
Some cases of the disease are caused by human T-lymphotropic virus type 1 (HTLV-I). Such patients require antiviral therapy.
Targeted therapy is selected individually. The following drugs can be used:
- anti-CD30 antibody-drug conjugate;
- anti-CD25, anti-CCR4 monoclonal antibodies;
- PI3kinase-m TOR and JAK/STAT pathway inhibitors;
- ALK inhibitors to suppress ALK-expressing tumors.
Some clinics offer immunotherapy with checkpoint inhibitors. It is particularly effective in extranodal natural killer cell and cutaneous T-cell lymphomas.
CAR T-cell therapy is used as part of clinical trials in Germany. It is used in advanced cases. Doctors obtain lymphocytes from a pa+tient, modify them, and inject them into the body. Altered immune cells destroy the tumor.
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy is often used in the early stage of the disease. For example, if the lymphoma is limited to the skin.
Some T-cell lymphomas develop in the head and neck. They are often treated with chemoradiotherapy. It is a combination of chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Doctors abroad use the latest methods of radiation therapy, which effectively and quickly suppress the tumor with minimal risk of side effects from the surrounding organs and tissues.
Stem cell transplantation
In the most severe cases of aggressive T-cell lymphomas, a bone marrow transplant is performed. An allogeneic transplant is preferred. It allows the doctors to cure cancer since the bone marrow from the donor does not contain malignant cells, and it activates the graft-versus-tumor effect.
The specialists prefer to transplant bone marrow from a sibling (brother, sister) whenever possible. If this is not possible, an allogenic transplant is performed.
You can successfully undergo diagnostics and treatment of aggressive T-cell lymphoma in Germany with the help of the Booking Health service. After comparing the cost of medical services in various hematology departments of German clinics, you will be able to book a treatment program at favorable prices. The Booking Health specialists will facilitate every step, from the hospital selection to arranging the trip.
Authors:
The article was edited by medical experts, board-certified doctors Dr. Nadezhda Ivanisova and Dr. Farrukh Ahmed. For the treatment of the conditions referred to in the article, you must consult a doctor; the information in the article is not intended for self-medication!
Sources:
National Center for Biotechnology
European Society for Medical Oncology
Cancer Research Institute
