Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymph system, part of the body's immune system. There are many types. One is Hodgkin disease; all the others are called non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma begins when a type of white blood cell — a T cell or B cell — becomes abnormal and divides over and over, making more abnormal cells that can spread to almost any other part of the body. Usually, doctors don't know why a person develops it, but the risk is higher for people with a weakened immune system or certain infections.
Symptoms
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can cause many symptoms, including:
- swollen, painless lymph nodes in the neck, armpits or groin;
- unexplained weight loss;
- fever;
- drenching night sweats;
- coughing, trouble breathing or chest pain;
- weakness and tiredness that don't go away;
- pain, swelling or a feeling of fullness in the abdomen.
Diagnosis
Doctors diagnose lymphoma with a physical exam, blood tests, a chest x-ray and a biopsy.
Treatment
Treatments include:
- chemotherapy;
- radiation therapy;
- targeted therapy, which uses drugs or other substances to attack specific cancer cells while doing less harm to normal cells;
- biologic therapy, which boosts the body's own ability to fight cancer;
- therapy to remove proteins from the blood.
People without symptoms may not need treatment right away; instead, doctors may monitor them closely, an approach called watchful waiting.
Sources
- MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine: "Lymphoma," with information from the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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