Hematologic Malignancies Program

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

What is Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma?

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Lymphoma is a general term for cancers that develop in the lymphatic system of the body. About 5 percent of all cases of cancer in the United States are lymphomas.

Hodgkin's disease is one type of lymphoma. All other lymphomas are grouped together and called non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. There are many types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma affecting different parts of the lymph system.

The lymph system is part of the immune system and is made up of thin tubes that branch, like blood vessels, into all parts of the body, including the skin. Lymph vessels carry lymph, a colorless, watery fluid that contains lymphocytes. Along the network of vessels are groups of small, bean-shaped organs called lymph nodes. Clusters of lymph nodes are found in the underarm, pelvis, neck and abdomen. The spleen (an organ in the upper abdomen that makes lymphocytes and filters old blood cells from the blood), the thymus (a small organ beneath the breastbone), and the tonsils (an organ in the throat) are also part of the lymph system.

Because there is lymph tissue throughout the body, non-Hodgkin's lymphomas can start in almost any part of the body. The cancer can spread to almost any organ or tissue, including the liver, bone marrow (the spongy tissue inside the large bones of the body that makes blood cells), spleen, and nose.

This page was last updated on: May 14, 2009.