Lymphoma

Lymphoma is a general term for cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, the part of your immune system that helps fight disease and infection. Hodgkin's disease — also known as Hodgkin's lymphoma — is a rare type of lymphoma, accounting for less than 1 percent of all cases of cancer in this country.

In Hodgkin's disease, cells in the lymphatic system grow abnormally and may spread beyond the lymphatic system. As the condition progresses, it compromises your body's ability to fight infection and symptoms appear. 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 and people older than age 55.

Other more common lymphatic cancers are called non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma accounts for about 4 percent of all new cancers in the United States. The disease is about eight times more common than Hodgkin's disease. Annually in the United States, about 55,000 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are diagnosed and the disease accounts for about 26,000 deaths.

In non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, tumors develop from white blood cells called lymphocytes, often at different locations in your body. Normally, lymphocytes go through a predictable life cycle. Old lymphocytes die and your body creates new ones to replace them. But in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, your body produces abnormal lymphocytes that continue to divide and grow without control. This excess of lymphocytes crowds into your lymph nodes, causing them to swell.

To make an appointment for lymphoma treatment, please call:
Hematology and Medical Oncology (415) 353-2421

You may need a referral from your primary care doctor. Please check with your health insurance representative.

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Reviewed by health care specialists at UCSF Medical Center.
Last updated August 29, 2007