You May Have Side Effects Years After Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Treatment: Here’s What to Watch For

Years after your lymphoma treatment, there remains the risk that another cancer can occur. In fact, all survivors of non-Hodgkin lymphoma are at a higher risk for developing a secondary cancer, according to the American Society of Clinical Oncology. And this risk remains for up to 20 years following treatment.

"Patients who have received chemotherapy in the past may have had a very good job done by that chemotherapy to cure their original cancer, but it does put them at risk of having a secondary cancer down the road," Dr. Jain says.

The most common types of secondary cancers include:

• Lung cancer
• Brain cancer
• Kidney or bladder cancer
• Melanoma
• Hodgkin lymphoma
• Leukemia

To stay on top of this possibility, doctors look out for these cancers, Dr. Jain tells SurvivorNet.

Because of the possibility that they might develop a secondary cancer, lymphoma survivors should keep up with all of their regular age-appropriate cancer screenings. These may include mammograms and colonoscopies when appropriate, Dr. Jain says. Patients should also get their skin checked for melanoma.

Possible Long-Term Side Effects

Apart from other cancers developing later, patients may also experience other side effects. Some may appear a long time after the end of their treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

"Sometimes I’m asked by patients who have completed their therapy and have been in a remission very long time, 'What are some of the side effects that I may experience during my lifetime?'" Dr. Jain tells SurvivorNet. "There are some other survivorship issues that patients may experience over the long term, stemming from the therapy that they had before."

One possibility is that patients may experience some amount of peripheral neuropathy, which is "sort of a numbness or tingling in the hands and feet, or perhaps a bit of pain," Dr. Jain says. "Typically this does go away after time. All the nerves heal. But there are some patients who have lasting amounts of nerve damage, and we work with them to manage the sorts of things that may occur over the long term."

If you experience numbness, tingling, or prickling sensations, speak to your doctor. Neuropathy can be managed with medications and other therapies, including surgery.

Another possible side effect that survivors may experience is a phenomenon colloquially known as "chemo brain." This is a mental fogginess or cloudiness that prevents you from focusing or finishing tasks. "This chemo brain may be just cognitive, or maybe just a feeling of fatigue that goes on," Dr. Jain says.

Over time, these symptoms tend to improve, and patients "are able to go back to a full life," he says. "But depending on the age of the patient when they’re diagnosed with cancer, or the other health issues that are going on, sometimes the functional status or what people are able to do is not quite what it was before the cancer."

If you develop any side effects following your treatment, it’s important to mention them to your doctor. There may be treatments available to help you manage them.

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