doctor will want to know if you are uncertain or confused and will be happy to address your concerns. ■ Inquire about whom should be contacted for specific questions or weekend support and how you can reach them. ■ Inquire whether members of your healthcare team communicate electronically (by email, patient portals, etc.). Some providers do not use electronic forms of communication with patients because of concerns about security and patient privacy. ■ Make sure you understand the next steps in your care before you leave the doctor’s office. ■ Request written information that you can take home to help you remember everything your doctor tells you. 53 Understanding Hodgkin Lymphoma How to Be a Self-Advocate Being a self-advocate and an active participant in healthcare decisions can be a positive experience and may help patients regain a sense of control that they may have lost following the lymphoma diagnosis. Patients and caregivers should remember they are partners in their treatment plan. Patients should ask questions, learn about options, and work closely with their healthcare team. It is important for patients to be comfortable with the doctors and the approaches they take. If patients or caregivers are not comfortable, they should openly discuss their concerns. Confidence in the medical team often leads to confidence in treatment. If patients feel that the team is not a good match, they should ask for a referral to a different healthcare team. Although each patient is different and each response to therapy is unique, knowing someone who has been through the same situation and who may have had similar concerns can be a source of great comfort. If patients or caregivers are interested in talking to and learning from people who have had similar experiences, they can ask their healthcare team members about any support groups in the area or contact LRF for more information about the Lymphoma Support Network. Finally, it is important that patients not be afraid to talk with the healthcare team about nonmedical issues such as transportation, finances, insurance, working through treatment or taking time off, and childcare. The tips on the following page offer self-advocacy strategies for patients. Treatment of Hodgkin Lymphoma 54 Part 2 PATIENT T Self-Advocacy PI ■ Do not be afraid to ask your doctors or nurses questions about your care. ■ Learn more about HL by asking your doctor for information and visiting reliable websites, such as LRF at www.lymphoma.org and www.lymphoma.org/HL. ■ Take advantage of counseling, support groups, nutritional counseling, fitness classes, expressive arts, and other services offered at your doctor’s office, cancer center, or hospital. ■ Consider joining LRF’s Lymphoma Support Network, a nationwide buddy program that matches patients and caregivers with people who have had similar experiences. For information about the program, call (800) 500-9976 or email helpline@lymphoma.org. 55 Understanding Hodgkin Lymphoma Part 2 — Treatment of Hodgkin Lymphoma Chapter 6: Treatments for Hodgkin Lymphoma This chapter reviews the most common therapies currently used in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). Keep in mind that new therapies may have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) since this guide was printed. Read Chapter 13 to learn more about emerging treatments under investigation. There are important differences between different types of HL, and a treatment that works for one type of HL may not necessarily be the best treatment choice for another type. There are also small but important differences in the lymphoma cells found in different patients diagnosed with the same type of HL. Because of these differences, a treatment that may work very well in one patient may not have the same positive effect in another. What Types of Treatments Are Used in Patients With HL? There are three general types of treatments for patients with HL: ■ Drug therapy, including: – Chemotherapy, which affects general cell growth and proliferation (the ability of cells to multiply) – Immunotherapy, which helps the body’s immune system attack lymphoma cells ■ Radiation therapy, which uses high-