Dr. Ephraim Hochberg
Medical Oncology
Boston, MA
27 years experience male
Locations
Office
Boston, MA
Office
Boston, MA
About
Bio
Director of Clinical Lymphoma Research, Assistant Professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
SpecialtiesDoctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Doctors may have more than one area of specialty interest. Board certification in a specialty area means the doctor has completed formal training and has practice experience in that specialty, and has passed the certification examination from the corresponding accredited medical specialty board.
Medical Oncology
Hematology
Hematology and Oncology
Internal Medicine
Languages spoken
English, German
Doctor Q&A
40 Answers
6 Agrees
The number of answers this doctor has agreed with.
A 53-year-old female asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Possibly: If you're currently being treated for your lymphoma with chemotherapy drugs that lower your blood counts you could be bleeding from your nose because ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 25-year-old male asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Depends on subtype: There are 5 subtypes of hodgkin lymphoma which are all usually curable. There are about 55 subtypes of non-hodgkin lymphoma some of which are curable ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 40-year-old female asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Yes: It is somewhat rare for hotchkins lymphoma to recur five years after initial treatment. If the lymphoma was originally in the mediastinum (the center ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
No: Thrombocytosis, a low platelet count, does not cause any symptoms besides bruising and bleeding.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
1 comment
A 36-year-old member asked:
A member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Multi-drug chemo: The standard treatment regimen is rchop chemotherapy given outpatient every 3 weeks for a total of 6 doses. Sometimes physicians will add an additiona... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 25-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Infection: Infection is the most common cause of an elevated WBC count. Is the absolute lymph count suppressed or is it just the percentage? Is hematocrit suppre... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 52-year-old female asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
ITP vs chemo effect: The therapy of patients with thrombocytopenia and CLL depends on the cause. If the patient has not recently been treated then it is likely that this r... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 37-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
To make diagnosis: In follicular lymphoma lymph nodes are only removed to make a diagnosis. Surgical resection of additional lymph nodes does not provide benefit.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 27-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Rarely: There is a very small risk of hereditary lymphoma. First degree relatives of patients with myeloma, lymphoma or cll carry a slightly higher chance of ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Most common lymphoma: Diffuse large b cell lymphoma is the most common subtype of non-hodgkin's lymphoma. It usually presents in the lymph nodes but can present in any orga... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 48-year-old female asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
All together: All of the pills should be taken at the same time in order to get a high level of the drug within the bloodstream. Watch out for the side effects of b... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 32-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Hodgkin only: Bleomycin is an older chemotherapy drug that is not used in the treatment of most subtypes of lymphoma. The only modern regimens that still use this a... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old female asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Depends on symptoms: The decision to treat follicular lymphoma is not based on the amount of lymphoma in the bone marrow. If the patient has no symptoms from the lymphoma ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Complex topic: The follow-up care for patients who have achieved remission for Hodgkin lymphoma is divided into two categories. For the first five years patients are... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Many causes: My condolences on your loss. There are many reasons for confusion and delirium at the end of life. Mantle cell lymphoma specifically can sometimes go... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 36-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Months, anywhere: Mantle cell lymphoma is a rare subtype of non-hodgkin's lymphoma. It usually grows relatively slowly and might take several weeks to a few months to d... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A male asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Very unusual: An IgM at this level would be very unusual with CLL. I would be suspicious that a bone marrow biopsy would reveal clonal plasma cells and a diagnosis ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 29-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Depends on subtype: There are many different subtypes of non hodgkin lymphoma. Some are highly curable despite their advanced stage (stage iv) , such as diffuse large b c... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Stanford: Hodgkin lymphoma is quite rare with only about 8000 cases a year in the US. There are experts in this disease at most of the large academic cancer cen... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Depends on the stage: For patients with advanced stage Hodgkin lymphoma a second opinion doesn't usually add a lot. For patients with limited stage Hodgkin lymphoma especia... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Minimally heritable: Most non hodgkin lymphoma have a very small risk in first degree family members of the patient (children, parents, brothers and sisters). Some lympho... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 40-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Hodgkins and non-: The lymphomas are a relatively uncommon group of tumors that are the seventh most common malignancy in the United States. They are divided into Hodgki... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 43-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Adcetris (brentuximab vedotin) / Nivolumab: There are several classes of drugs that offer good options for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma who have not responded to ABVD. The standard of care in ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 49-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Not very: For most lymphomas fludarabine is not the treatment of choice. The appropriate therapy depends substantially on the subtype of lymphoma. Fludarabine h... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 35-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Serious: Mantle cell lymphoma is a serious type of non-hodgkin lymphoma. In a younger patient under the age of 70 and otherwise in good health it can be put in... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 49-year-old female asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Depends on the stage: Follicular lymphoma at a single site in the body is called stage one disease and can be treated with radiotherapy alone. If the lymphoma is at multip... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 38-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
No: Hodgkin's lymphoma is not transmissible by sexual contact or by blood transfusion. You're at no risk. If the patient is currently undergoing chemot... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 48-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Complex question: There are many different types of non-hodgkin's lymphoma and they have many different causes. Some of the lymphomas are caused by viruses and bacteria... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 47-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Very difficult: The basic chemo drugs used to treat hodgkin lymphoma (adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, dacarbazine) are old and cheap but the tests and infusion ti... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.6k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Depends on location: Marginal zone lymphoma can occur many places in the body. It most commonly occurs in the stomach and is associated with heartburn and stomach pain. It... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Chemotherapy+/-rad: Most patients receive chemotherapy with four drugs that have the initials ABVD every two weeks for a total of six months. Some patients who have disea... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Need to know subtype: The prognosis for patients with lymphoma is highly dependent on the subtype of lymphoma which they have. For diffuse large b-cell lymphoma, the most ... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.7k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Depends on type: There are many different subtypes of non-hodgkin lymphoma. Some of these subtypes are very curable at early or even at advanced stage. Some of the sub... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
5.5k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 22-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
No: No lymphoma is not sexually transmitted. Hiv is sexually transmitted and is a risk factor for the development of lymphoma.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 21-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Hematologist/Oncolog: Both hematologists and oncologists treat lymphoma. For certain stages and subtypes radiation oncologists arre also helpful.
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 30-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Maybe: Patients with a concussion or cerebral edema can often have an elevated white count but an elevated white count alone is not specific evidence of brai... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
A 41-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
No: Unfortunately there's no known way of preventing lymphoma. Certain rare types of lymphoma only occur in patients with HIV or can be caused by other in... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
6.4k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 45-year-old female asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
Academic center: This is a very unusual situation. He should be seen at an academic center by an adult oncologist. Pediatric oncologists never see this disease and wou... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsReviewed >2 years ago
A 31-year-old member asked:

Dr. Ephraim Hochberganswered
Medical Oncology 27 years experience
No data: There is no data on the use of ibrutinib in patients with plasma cell leukemia. There is some preclinical data suggesting that rare multiple myeloma p... Read More
Created for people with ongoing healthcare needs but benefits everyone.
3k viewsAnswered >2 years ago
TestimonialsRecommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
Recommendations and Thank you notes are endorsements given from patients or other doctors.
3
Recommendations
107
Thank you notes
HealthTap member
Dec 16, 2012
Dr. Hochberg took really careful care of my mom. He spent a lot of time with us answering our questions and was able to get us the right chemo at the right time. Mom is doing great.
HealthTap member
Mar 30, 2015
Dr. Hochberg is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Mar 31, 2015
Dr. Hochberg is an amazing doctor! #nationaldoctorsday2015 #virtualflower1
HealthTap member
Thanks for your quick reply! Thank you. My daughter may have this in small intestine.
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful!
HealthTap member
Thank you, your answer was very helpful!
Education & Training
Medical/Graduate school
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Graduated 1996MD
Medical/Graduate school
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, OH
Graduated 1996MD
Residency
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Residency
Brigham and Wo
Awards
HealthTap Doctor Mom
Affiliations
American Society of Hematology
Publications
90,000 U.S. doctors in 147 specialties are here to answer your questions, provide medical advice, write prescriptions, and more.
Answer emailed
in 24 hours or less