Some 22 percent of people with the disease have the type of lymphoma that typically follows a benign course, Lichtenfeld said.

CNN: Doctor: Fred Thompson's lymphoma in remission

Novartis says it hopes next year to apply for approval for three additional drugs for various tumors types, including a new treatment for ovarian cancer, a new lymphoma medicine and a drug for Cushing's disease, a benign tumor in the pituitary gland.

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