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Primary lymphoma of the brain - Treatment

Alternative Names

Brain lymphoma; Cerebral lymphoma; Primary lymphoma of the central nervous system; Lymphoma - brain

Treatment:

The condition is usually first treated with corticosteroids. However, chemotherapy may increase survival by 3 - 4 years, or longer. The chemotherapy is usually high doses of methotrexate given through a vein (intravenously) or a spinal tap.

Treating patients with weakened immune systems is not as successful, but it is improving.

Radiation therapy used to be the main treatment for primary lymphoma of the brain. Now it is usually reserved for treating patients who do not respond to chemotherapy.

Treatment with multiple therapies (combination therapy) is common.

Expectations (prognosis):

The survival of untreated primary brain lymphoma is under 2 months. Treated with chemotherapy, patients often survive 3-4 years or more. About 40% of patients are alive at 5 years. In general, older patients have a worse outlook than younger patients.

Complications:

Possible complications include:

Chemotherapy side effects, including low blood counts
Radiation side effects, including confusion, headaches, nervous system (neurologic) problems, and tissue death
Return (recurrence) of the lymphoma

Brain

Reviewed last on: 3/2/2009
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and Yi-Bin Chen, MD, Leukemia/Bone Marrow Transplant Program, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

DeAngelis LM. Tumors of the central nervous system and intracranial hypertension and hypotension. In: Goldman L, Ausiello D, eds. Cecil Medicine. 23rd ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier;2007:chap 199.

National Cancer Institute. Primary CNS lymphoma treatment (PDQ). 2009. Accessed February 25, 2009.

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