Lymphoma Cancer

Hodgkin lymphoma is a rare cancer that develops in the lymphatic system, which circulates through the spleen, lymph nodes and other organs, filtering out impurities and infections. Hodgkin lymphoma develops in lymphocytes, immune cells that are found in blood and lymph fluid. When these cells mutate, they grow out of control and may overtake the lymph system and spread to other parts of the body. The disease is named for Dr. Thomas Hodgkin, a British physician who first recognized its symptoms in 1832. It was formerly called Hodgkin’s disease.

There are two types of Hodgkin lymphoma. About 95 percent of all cases are classical (or classic) Hodgkin lymphoma. This form of the disease is divided into four subtypes: nodular sclerosis, mixed cellularity, lymphocyte-rich and lymphocyte-depleted. A less common type is nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma.

Leukemia and lymphoma share many common symptoms and characteristics. Both diseases are considered blood cancers, or liquid cancers, and originate in lymphocytes, which are the white blood cells that help the body fight off disease. In patients with leukemia and lymphoma, white blood cells grow out of control and crowd out healthy cells. When the mutated cells are found in the blood, the disease is diagnosed as leukemia. When the cells are found in the lymph nodes, the cancer is considered lymphoma. Leukemic cells are more likely to remain in the blood and circulate throughout the body. Lymphoma cells may also circulate, but they are more likely than leukemic cells to develop into solid tumors in the lymph system, such as in lymph nodes or the spleen. Despite the similarities, the diseases are often diagnosed and treated in different ways. The diseases are also distinguished in other ways. For instance, lymphoma is characterized by two types, Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and each disease has multiple varieties, as does leukemia.