After Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment

Staying prepared and organized

Even after treatment, it’s very important to stay organized and on top of your health. Keeping your records and health insurance coverage in order makes it easier to manage your follow-up care, future checkups, and any new concerns that may come up.

Keep your health insurance

It’s very important to keep health insurance as a lymphoma survivor. Insurance can help cover the cost of follow-up visits, tests, and any care you may need in the future. No one wants to think about their cancer coming back, but it’s best to be prepared.

Save your medical records

At some point, you might see a new doctor who doesn’t know your cancer history. Keep copies of your medical records so you can easily share the details of your diagnosis and treatment when needed.

Can I lower my risk of lymphoma progressing or coming back?

You might want to know if you can do anything to lower your risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma coming back, such as exercising, eating a certain type of diet, or taking nutritional supplements.

At this time, we don’t know for sure if there are things you can do to lower this risk. Some things might be helpful, but more research is needed to know for sure.

Adopting healthy behaviors

It might help to adopt healthy behaviors like eating well, getting regular physical activity, staying at a healthy weight, and not smoking. But no one knows for sure.

However, we do know that these types of changes can have other positive effects on your health. These positive effects extend beyond your risk of lymphoma or other cancers.

About dietary supplements

So far, no dietary supplements have been shown to clearly help lower the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma progressing or coming back. That includes vitamins, minerals, and herbal products. This does not mean that no supplements will help. But it’s important to know that none have been proven to do so.

In the United States, dietary supplements aren’t regulated like medicines. They don't have to be proven effective or even safe to be sold, although there are limits on what they’re allowed to claim they can do.

Talk to your healthcare team before taking any type of nutritional supplement. They can help you decide which ones are safe and which ones might be harmful.

If the lymphoma comes back

If the lymphoma does come back at some point, your treatment options will depend on the type of lymphoma, where it is, what treatments you’ve had before, how long it’s been since treatment, and your current health and preferences.

For more general information on dealing with a recurrence, see What Is Cancer Recurrence?

Could I get a second cancer after treatment?

People who’ve had non-Hodgkin lymphoma can still get other cancers. In fact, lymphoma survivors are at higher risk for some types of cancer, including:

• Melanoma skin cancer
• Lung cancer
• Kidney cancer
• Kaposi sarcoma
• Colorectal cancer
• Thyroid cancer
• Bone cancer
• Soft tissue cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Leukemia
• Myelodysplastic syndrome
• Hodgkin lymphoma
• Cancers of the head and neck, including the lip, tongue, floor of the mouth, throat, salivary glands, and voice box

If you were treated with chest radiation:

• Radiation therapy to the chest increases the risk of breast cancer in women who were treated before age 30.
• The risk of mesothelioma is also increased in people who were treated with chest radiation. This is a rare cancer of the outer lining of the lung. 

Screening for second cancers

Breast cancer screening

Women who were treated with chest radiation have an increased risk of breast cancer.

Because of this risk, the American Cancer Society recommends these women should get yearly breast MRIs in addition to mammograms and clinical breast exams. This should begin at age 30.

Some experts recommend screening should start 8 to 10 years after treatment or at age 40, whichever is earlier.

Screening for other cancers

Survivors of non-Hodgkin lymphoma should also follow the American Cancer Society guidelines for the early detection of cancer, such as those for colorectal and lung cancer.

Most experts do not recommend any other testing to look for second cancers unless you have symptoms.

Screening for people who were treated as children or young adults

The Children’s Oncology Group has screening guidelines for cancer survivors who were treated as children, teens, or young adults. These can be found at www.survivorshipguidelines.org.

Can I lower my risk of getting a second cancer?

You can take steps to help lower your risk of a second cancer and stay as healthy as possible.

For example, it’s important to stay away from tobacco products. Smoking increases the risk of many cancers, including some of the second cancers seen in people who’ve had non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

To help maintain good health, it’s also important to:

• Get to and stay at a healthy weight.
• Keep physically active and limit the time you spend sitting or lying down.
• Follow a healthy eating pattern that includes plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
• Limit red and processed meats, sugary drinks, and highly processed foods.
• Avoid alcohol. If you do drink, have no more than 1 drink per day for women or 2 per day for men.

These steps may also lower the risk of other health problems, including heart disease.

See Second Cancers in Adults for more information.

Social and emotional health after cancer

Some amount of feeling depressed, anxious, or worried is common when cancer is a part of your life. Some feelings might last a long time and can include:

• Dealing with physical changes that happen because of treatment
• Worrying about the cancer returning or new health problems developing
• Being treated differently or discriminated against by friends, partners, coworkers, employers, and others

You might also feel:

• Resentful for having had cancer
• Resentful for going through treatment when others didn’t have to
• Guilty for surviving cancer when other friends with cancer did not

Learn more in Life After Cancer.

If your feelings are getting in the way of your daily life, consider reaching out for support. The American Cancer Society is here to help. The National Cancer Information Center is available 24/7 at 1-800-227-2345 to discuss support resources in your community.