Chemotherapy for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

The term non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) refers to a diverse group of illnesses that have in common a high frequency of chemotherapy sensitivity. In fact, high-grade NHL was among the first cancers to be cured with chemotherapy. Although the curability of patients with low-grade NHL remains debatable, all patients with intermediate- and high-grade NHL should be approached with curative intent, even if they present with advanced disease. Our ability to treat patients with NHL is steadily improving. There have been significant advances in our understanding of the biology of the disease and our ability to predict treatment outcome. New treatments and innovative uses of already available treatments are regularly reported. This paper reviews the highlights of the past year's literature regarding the treatment of patients with NHL.