Overview of Lymphoma Types
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Overview of Lymphoma Types

There are essentially two type of lymphomas—Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The difference between the two types lies in the presence of the Reed Sternberg cells that are large cancerous cells that are prominent in Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but absent in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

 

According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS), non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is 3 times more common than Hodgkin’s lymphoma. There are many types of lymphoma under each of these two main types.

 

In the case of Hodgkin’s lymphoma, this cancer usually start with the B-cells or the immune system and there is no exact cause for its occurrence. Some of the most common types of Hodgkin’s lymphoma include:

 

  1. Lymphocyte-depleted Hodgkin’s disease

Only about 1% of those affected with lymphoma have this rare and aggressive type of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is quite usually diagnosed in adults above the age of 30. Usually, patients who have other immune system compromises such as HIV can easily be susceptible to this condition.

 

  1. Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin’s disease

This is a quite common Hodgkin’s lymphoma type in men and is about 5% of all the lymphoma cases. This type is usually diagnosed at an early stage due to the presence of lymphocytes and RS cells in diagnostic tests.

 

  1. Other types of HL

Some of the other types of Hodgkin’s lymphoma include mixed cellularity Hodgkin’s lymphoma, nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s disease, and nodular sclerosis Hodgkin’s lymphoma. An individual’s prognosis after a lymphoma diagnosis depends on the stage and type of lymphoma. Many types of lymphoma are treatable and highly curable.

 

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma subtypes are classified based on the type of cells that they affect and their rate of growth (i.e., fast paced or slow growing). Usually, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is present in the B-cells or T-cells of the immune system. However, a majority of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma occurs in the B-cells, under these various subtypes:

 

  1. B-cell lymphoma

One of the most aggressive types is the diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), wherein they are fast growing and occur as a result of the presence of abnormal B-cells in the blood. However, they can be cured with treatment, and the failure to do so could be fatal.

 

  1. T-cell lymphoma

While this type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma is not quite as common ad the B-cell lymphoma, there are many subtypes under this category. Only about 15% of all the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cases develop this particular type.

 

  1. Burkitt’s lymphoma

While this is a rarer type, it is quite an aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and can occur in this with a compromised immune system. This type of lymphoma is most common in children in sub-Saharan Africa, but it does occur in other parts of the world.

 

  1. Other types of NHL

Other types of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma types include follicular lymphoma, Mantle cell lymphoma, Primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma, Small lymphocytic lymphoma, Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma), etc.

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