Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL): What is it?
Cancers that begin in lymphatic tissue are known as lymphomas. This cancer can be divided into two main categories.
The first is NHL, which develops when lymphocytes, or white blood cells, start to develop tumors. Your body’s immune system, which includes white blood cells, aids in the defense against infections and other diseases.
Hodgkin lymphoma is the alternative type. The Reed-Sternberg cell, a malignant cell that is unique to Hodgkin’s lymphoma, is what distinguishes this type from NHL.
NHL is typically meant when the term “lymphoma” is used because it occurs more frequently than Hodgkin’s.
NHL will commonly occur in your lymph nodes and other lymph tissues, including your:
- digestive system
- spleen
- bone marrow
It also has an impact on your body’s T- or B-cells. Although T-cells obliterate aberrant cells, B-cells create antibodies to defend against infections.
A hep C diagnosis can increase the chance of non-lymphoma Hodgkin’s by 20 percent to 30 percent, according to a 2007 study [1] of U.S. military veterans who use the VA medical system.
According to these and other studies, routine screening of people with HCV may help identify diseases that advance to cancer and maybe even stop the development of lymphoma.