What is non-Hodgkin lymphoma?
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) is not a single disease. It’s a general name used for a
group of up to 30 related cancers of the lymphatic system. Doctors group the many
different types of NHL by the kind of cells (called lymphocytes) that are not normal,
how fast they grow, and how they affect the body. In general, B-cell lymphomas start
from B-cells that are not normal, and T-cell lymphomas start from T-cells that are
not normal.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can start in any part of the lymphatic system,
a network or tissues and organs that makes and stores white blood cells to fight infection
and disease. This includes the lymph nodes, special lymph organs such as the spleen, the
bone marrow, which makes lymphocytes, or in the lymph tissue of organs such as the
stomach or intestines. Because lymphocytes can go to virtually every part of the body
through the lymphatic system, NHL often spreads to different parts of the body. In fact,
NHL is often in more than one part of the body by the time it is found.
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