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Chemotherapy

Source: Childhood Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version, National Cancer Institute.

Source updated: May 9, 2025 · Captured 2026-09-09.

Selected source text with whitespace normalised. This Triangle page is not an NCI PDQ summary. Independent clinical review is pending.

Context: Treatment Option Overview / The following types of treatment may be used:

Chemotherapy (also called chemo) uses drugs to stop the growth of cancer cells. Chemotherapy either kills the cells or stops them from dividing. Chemotherapy may be given alone or with other types of treatment.

Chemotherapy for childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma is taken by mouth or injected into a vein. When given this way, the drugs enter the bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body. Chemotherapy for childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma is also placed directly into the cerebrospinal fluid (intrathecal chemotherapy), an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen. When given this way, the drugs mainly affect cancer cells in those areas.

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Intrathecal chemotherapy may be used to treat childhood non-Hodgkin lymphoma that has spread, or may spread, to the brain. When used to lessen the chance cancer will spread to the brain, it is called CNS prophylaxis. Intrathecal chemotherapy is given in addition to chemotherapy by mouth or vein. Higher than usual doses of chemotherapy may also be used as CNS prophylaxis.

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Chemotherapy drugs used alone or in combination to treat non-Hodgkin lymphoma in children include:

asparaginase

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