There is a great deal of research being conducted in the area of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Clinical trials and scientific studies are being conducted in cancer centers and laboratories by a number of medical groups. Areas of research for NHL include:

• New chemotherapy drugs. A new drug treatment known as rituximab treatment has been studied with NHL patients. Studies have shown combining this drug with the common CHOP chemotherapy protocol may prolong survival in certain types of NHL. Additional drugs and delivery systems continue to be studied by a number of researchers.
  
  
• Gene marker testing and gene therapy. Numerous studies are focusing on identifying genes that may predict NHL as well as gene therapy that can treat the condition. Researchers are examining the patterns produced by genes to help determine the new treatments and improved the prognosis. One family of proteins called protein kinase C (PKC) is being used in clinical trials.
  
  In addition, numerous gene studies are being conducted in the Mantle Cell Lymphoma Initiative (MCLI). Mantle cell is rare from B-cell lymphoma that has received little attention in the past. MCLI has received large funding to study this life-threatening condition.
  
  
• Vaccines. Researchers are studying ways to develop vaccines that can help the immune system fight cancer. These vaccines are designed to create an immune reaction in patients whose disease is in remission or those with lymphoma in a very early stage. The therapy uses a substance or a combination of substances to cause the immune system to respond to the tumor and destroy it. Vaccines for lymphomas are still experimental and not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Clinincal trials suggest that lymphoma vaccines may help shrink tumors and help prevent recurrence of the disease.
  
  
• Stem cell and bone marrow transplants. Small numbers of NHL patients have undergone chemotherapy with stem cell transplants. Patients donate blood cells, which have cancer cells removed and then are returned to the patients as part of efforts to repopulate the bone marrow after massive doses of chemotherapy. Researchers are working on better methods to clean the blood cells patients donate, both to remove the cancer cells and to enrich the stem cells before returning them to the patient. Matched stem cells from other donors may be used, but matches are difficult to find. Researchers are also studying ways to reduce complications found with transplants, such as graft-versus-host disease and adverse side effects.
  
  New radioimmunotherapy regimens. Researchers are studying drugs that can help deliver radiation directly to the cancer cells. This combination treatment has shown promise for long-term remission of lymphoma.
  
  
• Complementary and alternative therapy approaches