Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma
What Is It?
Lymphoma means a cancer of the lymphatic system. There are two main types of lymphoma:Hodgkin's lymphoma
Non Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL)
The cells of Hodgkin's lymphoma have a particular appearance under the microscope. Lymphoma cells that do not look this way are non Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Because the lymphatic system runs all through the body, you can get non Hodgkin's lymphoma just about anywhere. The most common place for it to be noticed first is in the lymph nodes in the neck. It is quite common to find it in the liver or spleen.
It can also occur in the stomach, small bowel, bones, brain, testicles or skin. Lymphoma can also affect the eye - there is information about this in the eye cancer section.
There are several different types of non Hodgkin's lymphoma. They can be classified in several different ways. One way is by the type of cell affected. There are two types of cell - B cells and T cells. So, you can have a B cell lymphoma or a T cell lymphoma. Most people have B cell lymphomas. T cell lymphomas are more common in teenagers and young adults. Non Hodgkin's lymphoma in children is treated a little differently than in adults.
Symptoms
The most common symptom of non Hodgkin's lymphoma is one or more painless swellings in the:Neck
Armpit
Groin