Treatment Options for Primary CNS Lymphoma

Primary CNS Lymphoma Not Related to AIDS
Primary CNS Lymphoma Related to AIDS
Recurrent Primary CNS Lymphoma

A link to a list of current clinical trials is included for each treatment section. For some types or stages of cancer, there may not be any trials listed. Check with your doctor for clinical trials that are not listed here but may be right for you.

Treatment of primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma in patients who do not have AIDS may include the following:

• Chemotherapy.
• Chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy.
• Whole brain radiation therapy.
• A clinical trial of high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant.

Treatment of primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma in patients who do have AIDS may include the following:

• Steroids with or without radiation therapy.
• Radiation therapy alone.
• Chemotherapy followed by radiation therapy.

Treatment of primary CNS lymphoma is different in patients with AIDS because the treatment side effects may be more severe. (See the PDQ summary on AIDS-Related Lymphoma Treatment for more information).

Treatment of recurrent primary central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma may include the following:

• Chemotherapy or radiation therapy (if not received in earlier treatment).
• A clinical trial of a new drug or treatment schedule.

Check for U.S. clinical trials from NCI's list of cancer clinical trials that are now accepting patients with primary central nervous system non-Hodgkin lymphoma. For more specific results, refine the search by using other search features, such as the location of the trial, the type of treatment, or the name of the drug. General information about clinical trials is available from the NCI Web site.