Lymphocytes, i.e., white blood cells, are responsible for fighting bacterial and viral infections and diseases in the body. As an active part of the immune system, lymphocytes travel throughout the body via the bloodstream. They are especially found in large numbers in lymph nodes in the groin, armpits, tonsils, appendix, and spleen. When lymphocytes become malignant and reproduce abnormally, it develops into cancer and is called lymphoma.

Lymphoma is categorized into different groups by doctors who examine the cells under a microscope. This is done to identify which type of lymphocyte is affected and has turned a mutant. Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are the two main types, and the visible presence of Reed–Sternberg cells instantly confirms Hodgkin lymphoma, and its notable absence positively establishes that it is Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Further sub-classifications of both these types of lymphoma are essential for the correct prognosis and effective treatment of the patient.

Enlarged or swollen lymph nodes that are painless, shortness of breath, fatigue, loss of appetite, atypical weight loss, night sweats, and fever are classic symptoms of all lymphoma. However, certain differences are apparently noticed.

• Reliable statistics say out of the 10 people diagnosed with lymphoma in the country, nine are identified with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma because it is more common than Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Likewise, while Non-Hodgkin lymphoma typically affects people over the age of 55 or 60, Hodgkin lymphoma affects younger people between the ages of 15 and 40.
• While unusually large Reed–Sternberg cells, which are a distinct type of malignant B-cells, are the cause of Hodgkin lymphoma, both B-cells and T-cells can become mutants and cause Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Hodgkin lymphoma typically starts with the painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the upper part of the body like the neck, chest, or armpits, while Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can affect lymph nodes found elsewhere in any organ of the body.
• Hodgkin lymphoma progresses systematically from one lymph node to the next in an unhurried pace. It is usually diagnosed and treated at an initial stage. On the other hand, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is not discovered until it is in an advanced stage. Hence, survival rates for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma are significantly higher than for Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
• Hodgkin lymphoma is sub grouped into five varied types, while Non-Hodgkin lymphoma can be indexed into 60 or more different types, depending on which cell is affected and how aggressive or low-grade progression is. The most common Non-Hodgkin lymphomas are B-cell lymphoma and T-cell lymphoma, and even among these, B-Cell lymphomas are more prevalent.

1. Types of Hodgkin lymphoma are

• Lymphocyte-depleted Hodgkin’s disease
• Lymphocyte-rich Hodgkin’s disease
• Mixed cellularity Hodgkin’s lymphoma
• Nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin’s disease
• Nodular sclerosis Hodgkin’s lymphoma

2. Types of Non-Hodgkin lymphoma are

• Adult T-cell lymphoma
• AIDS-related lymphoma
• Anaplastic large cell lymphoma
• Burkitt’s lymphoma
• Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas
• Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
• Double hit lymphoma
• Follicular lymphoma
• Lymphoblastic lymphoma
• Mantle cell lymphoma
• Peripheral T-cell lymphoma
• Primary central nervous system lymphoma

Treatment options for lymphoma include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, immunotherapy, surgery, blood and bone marrow stem cell transplant, or CAR T-cell therapy.