15 Signs (and 25 Types) of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a form of cancer.

It usually starts in the white blood cells. These are also called lymphocytes and is how this form of cancer got its name. These cells are part of the immune system.

There are two main types of lymphocytes in the body. B lymphocytes, which are cells that make antibodies. And T lymphocytes which are cells that also play a key role in our immune response.

There are also two main types of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. B-cell lymphomas and T-cell lymphomas. B-cell lymphomas are the most common and make up most cases in the US. Between 85 and 90 percent of non-Hodgkin lymphoma are B-cell lymphomas.

Between 10 and 15 percent of cases in the US are T-cell lymphomas. There is also NK-cell lymphomas which are very rare and infect less than 1% of people with lymphoma.

Each type of lymphoma has a number of subtypes. Below we’ll cover what those subtypes are. We’ll also cover the most common signs of lymphoma to watch out for.

Subtypes of B-cell lymphomas

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL)
Follicular lymphoma (FL)
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL)
Small cell lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (SLL/CLL)
Mucosa-associated lymphatic tissue (MALT) lymphoma
Mediastinal (thymic) large B-cell lymphoma
Lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia
Nodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma
Splenic marginal zone lymphoma
Extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma
Intravascular large B-cell lymphoma
Primary effusion lymphoma
Burkitt lymphoma
Primary central nervous system lymphoma

Subtypes of T-cell and NK-cell lymphoma

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (PTCL-NOS)
Cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (Sézary syndrome and mycosis fungoides)
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma
Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma
Breast implant-associated anaplastic large cell lymphoma
Adult T-cell lymphoma/leukemia (human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I positive)
Extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type
Enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma
Hepatosplenic T-cell lymphoma
Subcutaneous panniculitis-like T-cell lymphoma
Mycosis fungoides

Signs of Lymphoma

There are a number of potential signs of symptoms of lymphoma. Which signs are present is often related to the subtype of lymphoma present. However, the signs below can also be symptoms of a wide range of other conditions. If you or a loved one have one or more of these signs, it’s important to go see a doctor. Only a trained medical professional will be able to accurately diagnose the cause of these symptoms.