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Blood Cancer and Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL)
Types of Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma
There are over 30 types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which are classified and treated by how quickly they spread. Some of the main types are:
Localized, early-stage NHL
Nonlocalized, late-stage NHL
Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia
Aggressive, early-stage NHL
Aggressive, late-stage NHL
Highly aggressive NHL
Gastric (stomach) NHL
Cutaneous (skin) NHL
Extranodal NHL
Recurrent NHL
Doctors use a variety of terms to classify the different types of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Often they are organized by how the lymphoma cancer cells appear with a microscope and at what speed they are grow and spread. Aggressive lymphomas, which are known as intermediate and high-grade lymphomas, grow and spread quickly and cause severe symptoms. Indolent lymphomas, known as low-grade lymphomas, grow slowly and cause less symptoms than the Aggressive lymphomas.
When non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is diagnosed by the doctor, he needs to learn the extent of the disease or determine the stage of the cancer. This staging is a looks to see whether the lymphoma has spread to other parts of the body. The doctor's treatment decisions will results from these findings.
Physicians consider the following items to determine the stage of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma:
The number of affected lymph nodes and where they are located
Are the affected lymph nodes above, below, or on both sides of the diaphragm, which is the muscle under the lungs and heart that separates abdomen and chest )
Has the cancer spread to other organs like bone marrow, spleen, or liver
In staging non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, doctor often use some of the same tests used for the diagnosis. Additional staging procedures may include additional biopsies of lymph nodes, bone marrow, liver, or other tissue. A bone marrow biopsy removes a sample of bone marrow with a needle inserted into the hip or possibly another large bone. A pathologist then examines the marrow sample to check for the presence cancer cells.
| Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma Groups |
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| I. Slow-Growing Lymphomas and Lymphoid Leukemias |
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B-cell
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B-Cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (B-CLL)/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma
(SLL)
Lymphoplasmacytoid Lymphoma
Follicle Center Lymphoma, Follicular Small Cleaved Cell (FSC),
Follicular Mixed Cell (FM)
Marginal Zone B-cell Lymphoma
Hairy Cell Leukemia
Plasmacytoma/Myeloma
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| T-cell
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Large Granular Lymphocyte Leukemia
Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma (ATL/L ) [smoldering]
Mycosis Fungoides/Sézary Syndrome
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| II. Moderately Aggressive Lymphomas and Lymphoid Leukemias |
| B-cell
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B-Cell Prolymphocytic Leukemia (B-PLL)
Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Follicle Center Lymphoma, Follicular Small Cleaved Cell (FSC),
Follicle Center Lymphoma (follicular large cell)
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| T-cell
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T-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia/Prolymphocytic Leukemia
(T-CLL/PLL)
Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma (ATL/L) [chronic]
Angiocentric Lymphoma
Angioimmunoblastic Lymphoma
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| III. Aggressive Lymphomas |
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| B-cell
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B-Cell Large B-Cell Lymphoma
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| T-cell
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Peripheral T-Cell Lymphomas
Intestinal T-Cell Lymphoma
Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma
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| IV. Highly Aggressive Lymphomas and Lymphoid Leukemias |
| B-cell
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Precursor B-Lymphoblastic Leukemia/Lymphoma (PB-LBL/L)
Burkitt's Lymphoma
High-Grade B-Cell Lymphoma, Burkitt's-like
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| T-cell
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Precursor T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-LBL/L)
Adult T-cell leukemia/Lymphoma (ATLL) [acute and lymphomatous]
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Slow-Growing (Low Grade) Lymphomas
Slow-growing lymphomas are subdivided into numerous B-cell and T-cell subtypes,
for example:
| B-cell |
Small lymphocytic / pro-lymphocytic lymphoma (SLL)
Follicular lymphoma (few large cells)
Lymphoplasmacytoid lymphoma
Marginal zone lymphoma
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| T-cell |
Large granular lymphocyte leukemia
Adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL/L )
Mycosis fungoides/Sézary syndrome
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