The lymph system is a series of lymph nodes and vessels that move lymph fluid through the body. Lymph fluids contain infection-fighting white blood cells. Lymph nodes act as filters, capturing and destroying bacteria and viruses to prevent infection from spreading.

While the lymph system typically protects your body, lymph cells called lymphocytes can become cancerous.

Lymphoma definition

Lymphoma is a general term for cancer that starts in the lymph system. There are two categories of lymphoma: Hodgkin’s lymphoma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Under these two categories, researchers have classified more than 70 types of lymphoma. Lymphomas can affect any portion of the lymphatic system, including:

• bone marrow
• thymus
• spleen
• tonsils
• lymph nodes

Lymphomas

• Hodgkin's disease
• Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
• Diffuse Large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)
• Mantle cell lymphoma
• Lymphoblastic lymphoma
• Burkitt lymphoma
• Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL)
• Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL)
• Systemic anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL)
• Hepatosplenic gamma/delta T-cell lymphoma

Myelomas

• Multiple myeloma
• Waldenström macroglobulinemia
• Plasmacytoma
• Leukemias increased WBC
• Acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL)
• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)
• Acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)
• Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL)
• Chronic Idiopathic Myelofibrosis (MF)
• Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)
• T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL)
• B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (B-PLL)
• Chronic neutrophilic leukemia (CNL)
• Hairy cell leukemia (HCL)
• T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia (T-LGL)
• Aggressive NK-cell leukemia