The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is updating its position on the diagnosis and management of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the most common type of lymphoma, to reflect recent improvements in treatment options for the disease and its subtypes, and is asking for comment on its draft recommendations.
“There are a number of different subtypes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma meaning diagnosis of the disease can be complex,” Professor Mark Baker, director of the Centre of Clinical Practice at NICE, said in a news release. “Clinical understanding of this disease has improved with some specific, targeted treatments identified. NICE is developing a guideline to reflect this progress, and set out the best way to manage the condition.”
NICE is the independent U.K. organization responsible for providing guidance to the U.K.’s National Health Service and others on matters of health, public health, and social care services.
The draft guideline is open for consultation through March 11, 2016, and contains recommendations for the management of six specific subtypes of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma:
- peripheral T-cell lymphoma
- Burkitt lymphoma
- MALT lymphoma
- follicular lymphoma
- mantle cell lymphoma
- diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Consideration is given in the draft to which biopsy method is most appropriate, what kind of diagnostic is most suitable, how disease staging can best be assessed, and which treatments are most likely to be effective. Treatments addressed include stem cell transplantation, immunochemotherapy, and radiotherapy.
Recommendations are also made regarding the best ways to support people who have completed their treatment, including provisions on discussing end-of-treatment summaries with patients to better inform them of relapse possibilities and of possible late side effects resulting from a therapy.
The guideline covers adults and adolescents age 16 or older with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and a final version is expected to be issued this summer.
“This draft guideline is now open for consultation. We want to hear from patients and all those who provide care for people with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in the NHS so that we can produce a guideline which will support everyone who diagnoses, treats and has to live with this disease,” Professor Baker said.
