Lymphoma

What is Lymphoma?

Lymphoma is a cancer that starts in your lymphatic system — the network of tissues and organs, including your lymph nodes, spleen and bone marrow, that helps your body fight illnesses.

It develops when white blood cells called lymphocytes grow out of control and build up in your lymph nodes or tissues, causing swelling and other symptoms.

Lymphoma is common but also highly treatable. With prompt care, many people go on to live full, healthy lives.

Types of Lymphoma

There are two main types of lymphoma: Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin, grouped by how the cancer cells look and behave.

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more common and includes a group of related cancers that start in different lymphocytes (B cells or T cells). Some grow slowly, others faster, so your care team will tailor treatment to your specific type.

What Causes Lymphoma?

Doctors don't always know why lymphoma develops. In general, it starts with DNA changes in a lymphocyte that cause it to grow and divide uncontrollably, crowding out healthy cells. For most people, there's no single clear cause — it's usually a mix of genetics, immune system factors and lifetime exposures.

Lymphoma Symptoms

Lymphoma symptoms can look different from person to person, and they can also be easy to mistake for something less serious, like a cold or the flu. Common signs to watch for include:

• Fatigue that doesn't get better with rest
• Feeling full or bloated or having belly pain
• Fevers that come and go without another clear cause
• Itchy skin
• Losing weight without trying
• Night sweats that soak through your clothes or sheets
• Shortness of breath or a cough that won't go away
• Swollen lymph nodes in your neck, armpit or groin (often painless)

Many things can cause these symptoms. But if something feels off and sticks around for more than a few weeks, it's worth getting checked out.

Lymphoma Risk Factors

While anyone can develop lymphoma, some things may raise your risk, including:

• A family history of lymphoma
• Being exposed to certain chemicals over a long period of time
• Certain infections, like Epstein-Barr virus or Helicobacter pylori
• Getting older, since risk tends to increase with age
• Having a weakened immune system, whether from a health condition or certain medications
• Having an autoimmune disease

Having risk factors doesn't mean you'll get lymphoma — many people with it have none, and many with risk factors never develop it.

Preventing Lymphoma

There's no guaranteed way to prevent lymphoma. That said, there are things you can do to support your overall health and lower your risk of cancer in general:

• Avoid unnecessary exposure to chemicals and pesticides when you can
• Keep up with regular checkups so any changes in your health are caught early
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Protect yourself from infections that are linked to lymphoma, like HIV

The most important thing you can do is pay attention to your body and talk to your doctor if something doesn't feel right.

Diagnosing Lymphoma

If your doctor suspects lymphoma, they'll start by asking about your symptoms and health history. Then, they'll do a physical exam to check for swollen lymph nodes or other changes. From there, they may recommend:

• Blood tests to check your overall health and look for signs of the disease
• Imaging tests to see if and where lymphoma may have spread
• A biopsy, where a small sample of tissue (usually from a lymph node) is removed and looked at under a microscope. This is the only way to confirm a lymphoma diagnosis
• A bone marrow biopsy, in some cases, to see whether the cancer has reached your bone marrow

These tests also help your care team figure out the exact type and stage of lymphoma, which shapes the treatment plan they'll recommend for you.

Lymphoma Treatment

Treatment for lymphoma depends on the type you have, how far it's progressed and your overall health. Your care team will work with you to build a plan that fits your specific situation.

Common lymphoma treatments include:

• Chemotherapy uses medication to kill fast-growing cancer cells
• Natural killer (NK) cell therapy uses white blood cells from the immune system to find and destroy cancer cells
• Immunotherapy helps your own immune system recognize and fight cancer cells more effectively
• Radiation therapy uses targeted energy to shrink or destroy cancer cells in a specific area
• Stem cell transplant replaces damaged bone marrow with healthy cells after high-dose treatment
• Targeted therapy uses drugs designed to attack specific features of cancer cells while leaving healthy cells alone
• Watchful waiting is sometimes appropriate for slow-growing lymphomas that may not need immediate treatment

Some people need just one of these treatments. Others need a combination. Your doctor will walk you through what to expect at every step, so you always know what's next and why.

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