Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

Text Size A A

E-Mail to a Friend



secret  Click to Play Audio


Send To Friend

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Facts

Lymphoma is cancer that begins in the lymph system—a network of tubes that slowly carries fluid, called lymph, from your tissues to be recycled back into your blood.

Along this network are lymph nodes—small, bean-shaped organs that are located throughout your body in your neck, underarms and groin, and behind your knees. They are also deeper inside your body in your chest, abdomen and pelvis. The nodes filter lymph and store cells called lymphocytes that mature into cells of the immune system to defend against infections caused by bacteria, viruses and parasites.

Lymphoma is caused when something goes wrong inside the lymphocytes so they don’t mature to completion and don’t die off like they are supposed to but instead collect in the lymph nodes.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma most often starts in the lymph nodes in the upper part of the body, in the neck or chest or under the arms. It can spread through the lymph system to lymph nodes and outside the lymph nodes to the bone marrow, lungs or liver.

There are several kinds of lymphocytes and at least 10 different types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. 

Lymphocytes can be:

  • B lymphocytes, or B cells: These make antibodies. Antibodies attach to bacteria and to cells infected with a virus so that other immune cells recognize them and know to destroy them.
  • T lymphocytes, or T cells: There are many kinds of T cells. They are involved in destroying invaders or tumor cells or in attracting or stimulating other immune cells to do this. 
  • Natural killer cells: These scout for cells that do not look normal and destroy them.

The lymphatic system also includes other parts of your body:

  • Bone marrow, which makes lymphocytes and where B cells mature
  • Spleen, an organ near your stomach that filters and stores blood, destroys old red blood cells, and fights infections
  • Thymus, a gland in your neck where T cells mature

Symptoms & Diagnosis

Here is some information about the symptoms of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and how it is diagnosed.

Types, Stages & Risk Factors

Here is some information about the types, stages and risk factors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.