A costly new drug increases survival for those with the most common forms of lymphoma, a new B.C. study confirms.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is one of the fastest growing cancers. It affects about 6,000 Canadians per year by attacking tissue found in most organs.

An earlier study showed the drug Rituxan is effective in people over the age of 60.

Until recently, most provincial cancer boards would only pay for drug in those over 60, or those who've failed earlier rounds of chemotherapy. British Columbia was the only province that paid for Rituxan in all patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Now research suggests a treatment regime including the new drug Rituxan improves the two-year survival rate to 75 per cent compared to 52 per cent among those who received chemotherapy alone.

The results applied to people of all ages.

"This is a fairly aggressive behaving non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that our treatments do have the capacity to cure," said researcher Dr. Laurie Sehn, an oncologist at the B.C. Cancer Agency.

"Generally, its in a two-year time frame that patients who aren't cured will have some evidence of their lymphoma coming back."

Darlene Cormier, 41, fought to get the Alberta Cancer Board to pay for drug. The resident of Ponoka, Alta. is now returning to work for the first time in more than a year.

"I've been given a clean bill of health as far as they can give me one," said Cormier, who credits her recovery to Rituxan.

Sehn said Rituxan will likely now become part of the normal treatment regime for certain types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Researchers are still trying to understand the causes of the disease, and why rates are increasing.