Resilience and Determination to Amid Health Challenges
- Actor Jeff Bridges, 74, is nominated for an Emmy award for his performance in “The Old Man.” The legendary actor faces stiff competition from the likes of “Succession” to win the prestigious award during the 75th Emmy Awards.
- Bridges began working on “The Old Man” television series while battling non-Hodgkin lymphoma and COVID-19.
- Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common than Hodgkin lymphoma, and it typically starts later in life.
- Treatment for non-Hodgkin often includes chemotherapy, radiation, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy.
- SurvivorNet experts say using a chemotherapy combination called R-CHOP is an effective treatment for aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It stands for Rituximab (Rituxan), a monoclonal antibody, Cyclophosphamide (a type of chemotherapy drug), Doxorubicin hydrochloride (hydroxydaunomycin – a kind of chemotherapy drug), Vincristine sulfate (Oncovin – a sort of chemotherapy drug), Prednisone (a steroid).
Award-winning actor Jeff Bridges, 74, hopes to land an Emmy for his role in “The Old Man.” However, he faces stiff competition for the coveted prize during the 75th annual award ceremony. Despite the obstacles before him, Bridges has proven he can overcome the odds when he is hit with a one-two punch from COVID-19 and cancer. The resilient actor managed to survive hospitalization and reach remission.
“The Old Man” is up for two awards during the 75th Emmy Awards, including “Best Actor in a Drama Series.” The television series premiered in 2022, and according to entertainment source IMDB, the show plot focuses on a “retired CIA agent who is haunted by both the agency he once worked for and his own nightmares, when an unknown man suddenly visits him after nearly three decades.”
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Expert Resources on non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- All About Biopsies to Diagnose Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- All About Follicular Lymphoma: A Common Type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Bispecific Antibodies Deliver One-Two Punch to Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- CAR T-Cell Therapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- What Are the Side Effects of CAR T-Cell Therapy for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?
- Could New Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Drugs Mean Less Chemo in the Future?
Jeff Bridges’ Cancer Journey Brought Forth His Resilience
Bridges was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2020.“The two main classifications I think of in terms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma are lymphomas that are more indolent and those that are more aggressive because those are treated very differently,” Dr. Jennifer Crombie, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, tells SurvivorNet.
No screening tests for lymphomas exist, and symptoms can be hard to identify. Hence, doctors typically perform a biopsy on a lymph node to accurately determine if non-Hodgkin lymphoma exists. However, some common symptoms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma include:
- Swollen glands
- Fever
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
- Fatigue
WATCH: What kind of lymphoma do you have?
Indolent lymphomas grow slowly and often don’t cause symptoms, so they may not need immediate treatment. At the opposite end of the spectrum are aggressive lymphomas, which grow and spread quickly and must be treated promptly.
“I had a 12-by-9-inch tumor in my body. Like a child in my body. It didn’t hurt or anything,” he previously told People.
Despite his diagnosis, the brave and resilient actor remained optimistic and said at the time, “The prognosis is good.”
“I always advise that people understand their specific type of lymphoma because there are over 40 different types,” Dr. Elise Chong, medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, tells SurvivorNet.
While undergoing treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Bridges battled COVID-19 in early 2021. He told People Magazine at the time that his chemotherapy treatments weakened his immune system, allowing the COVID-19 virus to impact him harder than he expected.
He spent nearly five months in the hospital while treating his cancer and managing his COVID-19 symptoms.
“I had nothing to fight it. COVID made my cancer look like nothing,” he said.
Luckily, the actor was able to fight through and overcome COVID-19, and his chemotherapy helped shrink the tumor.
In September 2021, Bridges shared that his lymphoma was in remission, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Treating non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
“There are some lymphomas that are very treatable but not curable,” Dr. Lawrence Piro told SurvivorNet.
Dr. Lawrence Piro is the President and CEO of The Angeles Clinic and Research Institute in Los Angeles, a Cedars-Sinai affiliate. He adds that some lymphomas progress quickly if left untreated.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma treatment depends on the type of lymphoma, the stage, and how fast it grows. People with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma can expect to get a chemotherapy combination called R-CHOP, which is a drug cocktail consisting of chemotherapy drugs plus an antibody drug and a steroid to treat diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
R-CHOP stands for:
- R: Rituximab (Rituxan) is a monoclonal antibody that attaches to a specific protein called CD20, which sits on the surface of B cells. It targets cancerous cells and destroys them.
- C: Cyclophosphamide is a type of chemotherapy drug
- D: Doxorubicin hydrochloride (hydroxydaunomycin) is a type of chemotherapy drug
- V: Vincristine sulfate (Oncovin) is a type of chemotherapy drug
- P: Prednisone is a steroid which lowers inflammation
Patients receiving R-CHOP receive the drug in six cycles that are three weeks apart.
“R-CHOP is a cocktail of drugs. There are five different drugs in that recipe,” Dr. Jennifer Crombie, medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, tells SurvivorNet.
WATCH: Understanding R-CHOP treatment.
R-CHOP side effects can include:
- Tiredness and weakness
- Hair loss
- Mouth sores
- Bruising and bleeding
- Increased risk of infection
- Appetite loss and weight loss
- Changes in bowel movements
Immunotherapy and targeted therapy are also treatment options for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients.
Rituximab (Rituxan) was the first immunotherapy drug approved to treat some forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. “Rituximab is the immunotherapy that has been approved the longest, and we have the most experience with lymphoma,” Dr. Chong tells SurvivorNet.
Rituxan has side effects, including fever, chills, swelling under the skin, itching, and mild shortness of breath.
Brentuximab vedotin (Adcetris) is a relatively new targeted treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma. This drug is an antibody-drug conjugate that combines an antibody (a type of protein that recognizes foreign substances in the body) with a drug that treats cancer. It uses a particular protein to deliver medicine directly into the cancer cell.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can also be treated with radiation, which aims beams of intense energy at the cancer to stop cancer cells from growing and dividing.
Questions for Your Doctor
If you are dealing with a lymphoma diagnosis, it’s important to ask your doctor a series of questions so you will have an idea of what your next steps will look like. To help you during this difficult time, SurvivorNet has some questions to kickstart your conversation with your physician.
- What type of lymphoma do I have?
- What does my pathology report say about my diagnosis?
- Should I get a second opinion before I explore possible treatment options?
- Based on my diagnosis, what do you anticipate my treatment path?
- What common side effects should I expect when I begin treatment?
- Will I be able to continue working and normal daily activities during treatment?
- Where can I get help working with the insurance company regarding treatment costs?
- Who do you recommend I get mental health help during my treatment?
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