Short answers, pulled from the story.
Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Lymphomas, leukemias, and myelomas are all part of the broader group of tumors of the hematopoietic and lymphoid tissues, but lymphoma specifically refers to cancers that arise in lymphocytes rather than other blood cell lineages.
The two main categories are non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which accounts for about 90% of cases, and Hodgkin lymphoma, which accounts for about 10%. Hodgkin lymphoma is distinguished by the presence of Reed-Sternberg cells and differs from non-Hodgkin lymphomas in its prognosis and pathological characteristics.
The five-year survival rate for all Hodgkin lymphoma subtypes in the United States is 89%, while that for non-Hodgkin lymphomas is 74%. Survival varies significantly by stage: localized disease carries a five-year relative survival of 82.3%, regional spread 78.3%, and distant metastasis 62.7%.
Lymphoma is definitively diagnosed by a lymph-node biopsy, meaning partial or total excision of a lymph node examined under a microscope. Additional tests including immunophenotyping, flow cytometry, and fluorescence in situ hybridization testing may follow to identify the specific subtype.
The primary presentation is enlarged lymph nodes, which are generally painless. B symptoms include fever, night sweats, and unintentional loss of at least 10% of body weight over the last six months. Other symptoms include fatigue, itching, loss of appetite, anemia, and increased susceptibility to infections.
Thomas Hodgkin published the first description of lymphoma in 1832, specifically describing the form that now bears his name. The word lymphoma derives from Latin lympha, meaning water, and Greek -oma, meaning morbid growth or tumor.