Lymphoma
A lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the lymphatic system, which is part of the body's immune system. The two main types of lymphoma are Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Lymphomas are more common in men than in women. In most cases the cause is not known. Symptoms of lymphoma include swelling in one or more groups of lymph nodes, weakness, fever, weight loss, and an enlarged liver and spleen.
Depending on the type of lymphoma and whether it is confined to a single group of lymph nodes or affects many lymph nodes, treatment may include radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or, in serious cases, a stem cell transplant. Because the disease impairs the immune system, a person who has lymphoma has an increased risk of dying from infection.
| Author | Jeannette Curtis |
| Author | Caroline Rea, RN, BS, MS |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Editor | Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Patrice Burgess, MD - Family Medicine |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine |
| Last Updated | May 25, 2007 |
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