Lymphoma

Conditions and Treatments

In Hodgkin's disease, cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally and may spread beyond the lymphatic system. As the condition progresses, it compromises the body's ability to fight infection. Many symptoms may be similar to those of influenza, such as fever, fatigue and night sweats. Eventually, tumors develop. Hodgkin's disease usually affects people between the ages of 15 and 35 as well as people older than age 55.

Before 1970, few people diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease recovered. Today, as many as 50 percent to 90 percent of patients with Hodgkin's disease are cured of their illness and go on to have a normal lifespan. The advances in Hodgkin's disease treatment are attributed to the pioneering work of radiation and medical oncologists, who are currently working to reduce long-term side effects.

Other cancers of the lymphatic system are called non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, which are eight times more common than Hodgkin's disease. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) accounts for about 4 percent of all new cancers, with about 55,000 new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma diagnosed annually in the United States. Each year the disease accounts for about 26,000 deaths in the United States.

Since the 1970s, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has been one of the most rapidly increasing types of cancer in the United States. The good news is that the rate of increase slowed in the 1990s. And, although the incidence has increased, so has the survival rate. Today, the overall 5-year survival rate is about 50 percent. For many subtypes, the 5-year survival rate is about 75 percent. The majority of patients who survive past 5 years are cured of their illness.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma includes approximately 20 different types of tumors. The tumors develop from lymphocytes (a specialized type of white blood cell) in the lymphatic system. Normally, lymphocytes go through a predictable life cycle. Old lymphocytes die, and your body creates new ones to replace them. But with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, your body produces abnormal lymphocytes that continue to divide and grow without control. This oversupply of lymphocytes crowds into your lymph nodes, causing them to swell. Most patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma will notice swollen or enlarged lymph nodes that appear without reason (i.e. not in response to infection). A biopsy of the lymph node is performed to identify the abnormal cells. The shape, size and architecture of the lymphocytes and lymph node is used to determine the exact subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated May 8, 2007