Rituximab alone over 8 week period for my mum

Hi Bells and a warm welcome to this corner of the Community although I am always sorry to see folks joining us. I am Mike and I help out around our various Lymphoma groups. 

I was diagnosed back in 1999 with a rare, incurable type of NHL Stage 4a so although my Lymphoma ‘type’ may be different from your mum’s I understand the challenges of this journey well.

Rituximab is a very effective targeted therapy and is often used on its own or part of a chemo combo - I had R-EPOCH.

What actually type of NHL does she have?…… most Low Grade NHLs (Like my Cutaneous T-Cell NHL) are incurable but very treatable so the treatment will be used to aim to get her into a window of remission and as it’s a targeted therapy it should not be as challenging as chemotherapy.

NHL can develop anywhere in the body and can spread throughout the body so this my the main treatment will be Targeted or Radiotherapy…… you can’t cut out NHL although areas can be remover were there is risk to life but would have to be followed up with other treatments.

Lymphoma is a complicated condition and often not straight forward but I am over 23 years into my journey and although I have had a lot of treatment t I we the years (see my profile) I continue to do well and living as normal a life that any 66 year old can ((hugs))

It  won't make it worse and full remission is possible.

my mum finished treatment on 28th july and her PET scan done last week has shown it has made no difference at all, whats next

Hi again Bells, sorry to hear this but the treatments available has various levels of intensity and effectiveness.

Rituximab is a targeted therapy and if it has not done it’s job her consultants will go back to the tool box and use the next level of treatment.

You need to now be asking her clinical team what is the next plan…… 

Chemo probably

They aren’t giving her any more treatment they said it won’t benefit her but maybe that’s good don’t know

Sorry to hear this, how old is your mum?

75, she is active etc so I take it this means good outcome otherwise they would try something 

All you can do is trust in her clinical team and that they are doing what they see as the best for her.

I would ask for a second opinion from another Hospital.