What Is Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma? - American Cancer Society

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (also known as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, NHL, or sometimes just lymphoma) is a cancer that starts in white blood cells ... Search Verenespañol | Downloadthistopic[PDF] AboutNon-HodgkinLymphoma WhatIsNon-HodgkinLymphoma? TypesofB-cellLymphoma TypesofT-cellLymphoma KeyStatisticsforNon-HodgkinLymphoma What’sNewinNon-HodgkinLymphomaResearchandTreatment? Home CancerA-Z Non-HodgkinLymphoma AboutNon-HodgkinLymphoma WhatIsNon-HodgkinLymphoma? Cancerstartswhencellsbegintogrowoutofcontrol.Cellsinnearlyanypartofthebodycanbecomecancer,andcanspreadtootherareas.Tolearnmoreabouthowcancersstartandspread,seeWhatIsCancer? Non-Hodgkinlymphoma(alsoknownasnon-Hodgkin’slymphoma,NHL,orsometimesjustlymphoma)isacancerthatstartsinwhitebloodcellscalledlymphocytes,whicharepartofthebody’simmunesystem. NHLisatermthat'susedformanydifferenttypesoflymphomathatallsharesomeofthesamecharacteristics.Thereisanothermaintypeoflymphoma,calledHodgkinlymphoma,whichistreateddifferently.SeeHodgkinLymphoma. NHLmostoftenaffectsadults,butchildrencangetittoo.SeeNon-HodgkinLymphomainChildren. NHLusuallystartsinlymphnodesorotherlymphtissue,butitcansometimesaffecttheskin.SeeLymphomaoftheSkin. Wherelymphomastarts Lymphomaaffectsthebody’slymphsystem(alsoknownasthelymphaticsystem).Thelymphsystemispartoftheimmunesystem,whichhelpsfightinfectionsandsomeotherdiseases.Italsohelpsfluidsmovethroughthebody. Lymphomascanstartanywhereinthebodywherelymphtissueisfound.Themajorsitesoflymphtissueare: Lymphnodes:Lymphnodesarebean-sizedcollectionsoflymphocytesandotherimmunesystemcellsthroughoutthebody,includinginsidethechest,abdomen,andpelvis.Theyareconnectedbyasystemoflymphaticvessels. Spleen:Thespleenisanorganunderthelowerribsontheleftsideofthebody.Thespleenmakeslymphocytesandotherimmunesystemcells.Italsostoreshealthybloodcellsandfiltersoutdamagedbloodcells,bacteria,andcellwaste. Bonemarrow:Thebonemarrowisthespongytissueinsidecertainbones.Thisiswherenewbloodcells(includingsomelymphocytes)aremade. Thymus:Thethymusisasmallorganbehindtheupperpartofthebreastboneandinfrontoftheheart.It’simportantinthedevelopmentofTlymphocytes. Adenoidsandtonsils:Thesearecollectionsoflymphtissueinthebackofthethroat.Theyhelpmakeantibodiesagainstgermsthatarebreathedinorswallowed. Digestivetract:Thestomach,intestines,andmanyotherorgansalsohavelymphtissue. Typesofnon-Hodgkinlymphoma TreatmentforNHLdependsonwhichtypeitis,soit’simportantfordoctorstofindoutthe exact typeoflymphoma youhave.Thetypeoflymphomadependsonwhattypeoflymphocyteisaffected(BcellsorTcells),howmaturethecellsarewhentheybecomecancerous,andotherfactors.  B-cellvsT-celllymphomas Thelymphsystemismadeupmainlyoflymphocytes,atypeofwhitebloodcellthathelpsthebodyfightinfections.Thereare2maintypesoflymphocytes: Blymphocytes(Bcells): Bcellsnormallyhelpprotectthebodyagainstgerms(bacteriaorviruses)bymakingproteinscalledantibodies.Theantibodiesattachtothegerms,markingthemfordestructionbyotherpartsoftheimmunesystem. Tlymphocytes(Tcells): ThereareseveraltypesofTcells.SomeTcellsdestroygermsorabnormalcellsinthebody.OtherTcellshelpboostorslowtheactivityofotherimmunesystemcells. Lymphomacanstartineithertypeoflymphocytes,butB-celllymphomasaremostcommon. Indolentvs.aggressivelymphomas TypesofNHLcanalsobegroupedbasedonhowfasttheygrowandspread: IndolentlymphomasgrowandspreadslowlySomeindolentlymphomasmightnotneedtobetreatedrightaway,butcanbewatchedcloselyinstead.ThemostcommontypeofindolentlymphomaintheUnitedStatesisfollicularlymphoma. Aggressivelymphomasgrowandspreadquickly,andusuallyneedtobetreatedrightaway.ThemostcommontypeofaggressivelymphomaintheUnitedStatesisdiffuselargeBcelllymphoma(DLBCL). Sometypesoflymphoma,likemantlecelllymphoma,don’tfitneatlyintoeitherofthesecategories. Regardlessofhowquicklytheygrow,allnon-Hodgkinlymphomascanspreadtootherpartsofthelymphsystemifnottreated.Eventually,theycanalsospreadtootherpartsofthebody,suchastheliver,brain,orbonemarrow. ClassifyingtypesofNHL Therearemanydifferenttypesofnon-Hodgkinlymphoma(NHL),soclassifyingitcanbequiteconfusing(evenfordoctors).Severaldifferentsystemshavebeenused,butthemostrecentsystemisthe WorldHealthOrganization(WHO)classification.TheWHOsystemgroupslymphomasbasedon:  Thetypeoflymphocytethelymphomastartsin Howthelymphomalooksunderamicroscope Thechromosomefeaturesofthelymphomacells Thepresenceofcertainproteinsonthesurfaceofthecancercells Writtenby References TheAmericanCancerSocietymedicalandeditorialcontentteam Ourteamismadeupofdoctorsand oncologycertifiednurseswithdeepknowledgeofcancercareaswellasjournalists,editors,andtranslatorswithextensiveexperienceinmedicalwriting. FreedmanAS,JacobsonCA,MauchP,AsterJC.Chapter103:Non-Hodgkin’slymphoma.In:DeVitaVT,LawrenceTS,RosenbergSA,eds.DeVita,Hellman,andRosenberg’sCancer:PrinciplesandPracticeofOncology.10thed.Philadelphia,Pa:LippincottWilliams&Wilkins;2015. RoschewskiMJ,WilsonWH.Chapter106:Non-HodgkinLymphoma.In:NiederhuberJE,ArmitageJO,DoroshowJH,KastanMB,TepperJE,eds.Abeloff’sClinicalOncology.5thed.Philadelphia,Pa:Elsevier;2014.   References FreedmanAS,JacobsonCA,MauchP,AsterJC.Chapter103:Non-Hodgkin’slymphoma.In:DeVitaVT,LawrenceTS,RosenbergSA,eds.DeVita,Hellman,andRosenberg’sCancer:PrinciplesandPracticeofOncology.10thed.Philadelphia,Pa:LippincottWilliams&Wilkins;2015. RoschewskiMJ,WilsonWH.Chapter106:Non-HodgkinLymphoma.In:NiederhuberJE,ArmitageJO,DoroshowJH,KastanMB,TepperJE,eds.Abeloff’sClinicalOncology.5thed.Philadelphia,Pa:Elsevier;2014.   LastRevised:August1,2018 AmericanCancerSocietymedicalinformationiscopyrighted material.Forreprintrequests,pleaseseeourContentUsagePolicy. AboutNon-HodgkinLymphoma WhatIsNon-HodgkinLymphoma? TypesofB-cellLymphoma TypesofT-cellLymphoma KeyStatisticsforNon-HodgkinLymphoma What’sNewinNon-HodgkinLymphomaResearchandTreatment? 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