is a type of
Cancer that originates in
Lymphocyte s. There are many types of lymphoma. Lymphomas are part of the broad group of diseases called
Hematological Neoplasms .
In the 19th and 20th centuries the affliction was called
Hodgkin's Disease , as it was discovered by
Thomas Hodgkin in
1832 . Colloquially, lymphoma is broadly categorized as
Hodgkin's Lymphoma and
Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (all other types of lymphoma). Scientific classification of the types of lymphoma is more detailed.
Although older classifications referred to histiocytic lymphomas, these are recognized in newer classifications as of B, T or NK cell lineage. Histiocytic malignancies are rare and are classified as sarcomas.
1
According to the U.S.
National Institutes Of Health , lymphomas account for about five percent of all cases of cancer in the United States, and Hodgkin's lymphoma in particular accounts for less than one percent of all cases of cancer in the United States.
Because the lymphatic system is part of the body's immune system, patients with weakened immune system, such as from
HIV infection or from certain drugs or medication, also have a higher incidence of lymphoma.
The is the latest classification of lymphoma, published by the
World Health Organization in 2001.
2 It was based upon the "Revised European-American Lymphoma classification" (REAL).
This classification attempts to classify lymphomas by cell type, i.e. the normal cell type that most closely resembles the tumor. They are classified in three large groups: the codes are provided where available)
- ---Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma
- ---Classical Hodgkin lymphoma
--Nodular sclerosis
--Mixed cellularity
--Lymphocyte-rich
--Lymphocyte depleted or not depleted
- ---Associated with a primary immune disorder
- ---Associated with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus ( HIV )
- ---Post-transplant
- ---Associated with Methotrexate therapy
The , published in 1982, is primarily descriptive. It is still occasionally used, but has been superseded by the WHO classification, above.
Please see separate links to
Hodgkin's Lymphoma and
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma .
