Las terapias dirigidas y a la medicina de precisión ofrecen esperanza en linfoma de Hodgkin

Every year, around 1,400 new cases of Hodgkin lymphoma are diagnosed in Spain, especially in young patients between the ages of 15 and 30. It is a hematological tumor that affects more men than women.

With the aim of raising awareness about Hodgkin's lymphoma and the impact on those who suffer from it, to publicize the evolution of its approach in recent decades and to raise awareness about the need to continue researching to offer a future to all patients, the 'Journey to Lymphoma' campaign has been launched ( www.viajeallinfoma.com ).

This is an initiative developed by Takeda, which has the social endorsement of the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH) and the support of the Spanish Association of People Affected by Lymphoma, Myeloma and Leukemia (AEAL). The journey takes us through the past, present and future of the approach to this disease, narrated by the stories of patients, hematologists and patient associations.

Through the testimony of patients and doctors, the 'Journey to Lymphoma' takes us through the past, present and future of this neoplasia. The advances achieved offer an opportunity for people who suffer from this disease.

C-ANPROM/ES/ADCE/0105 - January 2023

Better survival

Thanks to scientific advances, the 5-year survival rate has reached 91% of patients. The problem arises in cases where the disease is advanced, since two out of 10 patients do not manage to overcome the disease.

Dr. Ramón García Sanz, head of the Histocompatibility and Molecular Biology Unit at the Salamanca University Hospital and former president of the Spanish Society of Hematology and Hemotherapy (SEHH), explains that “we are gradually becoming aware of very innovative therapies that offer enormous possibilities for trying to improve the results in patients who are currently unable to recover.”

The profile of patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma makes it necessary to ensure that treatments interrupt the life plan of patients as little as possible, as they are usually very young. For this reason, the haematologist maintains that "this means that we have to achieve the goal of curing them at whatever cost is necessary."

Individual approach

One of these haematologists is Dr Izaskun Zeberio, who works at the Donostia University Hospital. She points out that “there are now more therapeutic options, and we have managed to get patients who do not have good results with the first line of treatment, which is about 10 out of 100, or who relapse, approximately 20 out of 100, to respond to the second line.”

That is why individual management of Hodgkin lymphoma is key. “Thanks to research, we now have treatments with fewer side effects that are better tolerated and more targeted, in what is called precision medicine, so that patients who relapse today have more hope.”

Patient associations have a lot to say. In fact, Marcos Martínez, manager of AEAL, recalls that “in the last 20 years, associations have evolved a lot, and we still need to acquire a greater role. In this sense, we promote that professionals can also talk about the existence of these entities, because only in this way and working together with the rest of the agents involved can we continue to advance to achieve a shorter access time to innovation and, of course , provide a multidisciplinary team to the patient with verified and rigorous information.”

Highlights

Hodgkin's lymphoma is a type of cancer of the lymphoid hematopoietic tissue, one of those responsible for protecting us from infections, present in the lymph nodes, bone marrow and blood. This tumor is caused by the uncontrolled and abnormal proliferation and multiplication of some white blood cells, also known as lymphocytes; hence the name lymphoma.

The most common symptom to be able to recognize it is the enlargement of the lymph nodes, or adenopathy. This is a painless symptom. In addition, about 25% of patients also show general symptoms, such as weight loss, persistent fever or profuse night sweats.

In the field of oncology, “Takeda has made a significant commitment to innovation in the area of ​​oncohematology, by seeking new lines of research to offer solutions to unmet medical needs. In addition to researching new therapies, one of our areas of interest is to promote projects that make visible the reality of those who live with cancer on a daily basis and raise awareness about the need to continue advancing in this direction,” highlights Andrea Naves, Medical Director, Pipeline, Global Medical Affairs Oncology.