Overview
Lymphomas are a group of haematological malignancies that develop from lymphocytes and originate in the lymphatic system. They are different to leukaemias, which develop in the bone marrow, however, there can be some degree of overlap (such as chronic lymphocytic leukaemia infiltrating lymph nodes or undergoing Richter’s transformation).
Types
Overview
The two main groups of lymphoma are:
- Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL)
- NHL can be divided into a large number of subtypes
- Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL)
NHL is around 5 times more common than HL.
General Features
Features may include:
- Lymphadenopathy:
- Generally non-tender
- B-symptoms:
- Fever
- Night sweats
- Weight loss
- Other features:
- Fatigue
- Itching
- Shortness of breath
B-symptoms are called so because the Ann-Arbor staging system for lymphoma includes the letter A or B. ‘A’ indicates the absence of systemic symptoms, whereas ‘B’ indicates their presence.
