What are Lymphomas?

Also known as: Hodgkin lymphoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Hodgkin disease, Hodgkin’s disease, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, NHL.

Lymphomas are a group of blood cell cancers/tumors that start in cells that are part of the body’s immune/lymphatic system (which play an important role in fighting off infection), that then multiply creating a tumor mass in the body. The tumor cells can spread to the rest of the body.

The two main groups of lymphoma are Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin forms (about 90% of cases). The World Health Organization includes two other categories as types of lymphomas: multiple myeloma and immunoproliferative disease.

There are many subtypes that can impact a child’s body, and the difference is related to the cells that are involved. Tumors and their cells can spread throughout the body through the lymph system as well as to other types of tissue within the body.


Reviewed by: Jack Wolfsdorf, MD, FAAP

This page was last updated on: 1/29/2019 3:21:13 PM

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