Lymphoma is a type of cancer. Cancer is the abnormal and uncontrollable growth of mutated cells that divide continuously without dying. They form a tumor in the infected area and then break off to spread to the other parts of the body. When the tumor develops in the lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are part of the body’s immune system which fights against infections. This type of cancer is quite rare and there have been many successful treatments. The symptoms of lymphoma include enlarged lymph nodes, weight loss, fatigue, etc. It can be treated through chemotherapy, radiation therapy, stem cell transplant, etc.

The common types of lymphoma

Lymphoma is classified under two major sections:

• Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Hodgkin’s lymphoma consists of all the types of lymphoma identified by Dr. Thomas Hodgkin. Patients who have Hodgkin’s lymphoma have RS (Reed-Sternberg) cells which are large, cancerous cells. The types of lymphoma that fall under this category are given below:

• Lymphocyte-depleted Hodgkin’s disease
  This type of lymphoma that mostly affects people over thirty years of age is very rare and aggressive. The lymphocytes of these patients have an abundance of RS cells and those affected mostly have a compromised immune system.
• Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin’s disease
  Commonly affecting men, it is diagnosed early and both RS cells and lymphocytes are present equally in the tests.
• Mixed cellularity Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  Almost 25% of Hodgkin’s lymphoma cases fall under this category and it mostly affects adult men, especially old men.
• Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s disease
  This type of lymphoma is characterized by the absence of RS cells and mostly affects people within the age of 30 and 50.
• Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin’s lymphoma
  This type of lymphoma occurs in almost three quarters of all Hodgkin’s lymphoma cases. It is, fortunately, highly treatable and has a high curate rate.

Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients do not have RS cells and the condition is thrice as likely to occur than Hodkin’s lyphoma. Here are the types of non-Hodkin’s lymphoma:

• B-cell lymphoma
  This type of lymphoma is the most aggressive type of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma . It is extremely common and rapid in growth. It can lead to death if left without treatment. It originates in the B cells in the blood.
• T-cell lymphoma
  It is not as common as B-cell lymphoma and not as dangerous either. There are several types of T-cell lymphoma.
• Burkitt’s lymphoma
  This is a rare type of lymphoma and is common in people with affected immune systems. It is quite common and majorly occurs in children in Africa but there are a minority of cases in other parts of the world as well.
• Follicular lymphoma
  This type affects 20% of all lymphoma cases in the country. It mostly affects individuals around the age of 60.
• Mantle cell lymphoma
  This is a rare type of aggressive non-Hodkin’s lymphoma. It mostly occurs in the bone marrow or gastrointestinal tract.
• Primary mediastinal B cell lymphoma
  This is a subtype of b-cell lymphoma and mostly affects women within the age of 20 and 30.
• Small lymphocytic lymphoma
  This is a slow-growing lymphoma where the cancer cells are found in the lymph nodes.
• Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia
  This type of lymphoma is extremely rare and affects older adults. It is characterized by the abnormal production of antibodies.