Lymphoma is a type of cancer that affects the immune system of the body. Lymphoma affects the lymphocytes from the lymph nodes present across the body. There are basically two types: Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Let us understand more about the different types of lymphoma.

What Are the Different Types of Lymphoma?
There are more than 70 different types of lymphoma based on location and the rate of how they spread ranging from slow to aggressive. Lymphomas are basically categorized into non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Lymphoma can arise in mostly two types of white blood cells, i.e., lymphocytes: B and T lymphocytes also known as the B cells and T cells, respectively. Lymphoma spreads when the cancer cells travel to different parts of the body like the spleen, blood, bone marrow and even other organs.

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma is further classified into

• B-cell lymphoma
• T-Cell lymphoma
• NK-cell lymphoma

Hodgkin’s lymphoma is broadly classified into two types:

• Classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
• Nodular Lymphocyte

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL)
Under NHL, lymphomas are further divided into following different types

• Diffuse Large B Cells Lymphoma
  DLBCL is one of the most common forms of lymphoma and is a very aggressive subtype that spreads to other organs.
• Follicular Lymphoma
  The second most common lymphoma, Follicular lymphoma begins at the lymph node and is a very slow spreading lymphoma. In earlier stages it can be cured with radiation therapy in combination with chemotherapy.
• Mantle Cell Lymphoma
  Mostly appearing in individuals older than 60 years, Mantle cell lymphoma initiates in places like the bone marrow, spleen and is a slow-spreading lymphoma. A combination of chemotherapy and targeted therapy has been found to be effective.
• Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma
  This lymphoma is similar to chronic B cell lymphoma except for the part that it doesn’t affect the blood. Small lymphocytic lymphoma usually doesn’t require medication but the patient needs to be vigilant about the condition and keep an eye if any symptoms pop up.

Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Classical Hodgkin Lymphoma is a condition when the lymphocytes function out of control. Any lymphoma which contains a Reed – Sternberg cells is called a classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Different subtypes of classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma are

• Nodular Sclerosing Classical Hodgkin lymphoma
• Lymphocyte rich classical Hodgkin lymphoma
• Mixed cellularity classical Hodgkin lymphoma
• Lymphocyte depleted Classical Hodgkin lymphoma

Nodular Lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma is a type of Hodgkin’s lymphoma that develops due to abnormal B lymphocytes. NLPHL is not common and there are very few cases of NLPHL reported worldwide every year. When compared to the classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, NLPHL is very slow and can be diagnosed easily at the earlier stages. NLPHL can be treated differently unlike a typical classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. NLPHL as the name suggests develops on the nodes. The lymphocyte-predominant cells are the cells responsible for NLPHL and are often referred to as popcorn cells since they resemble pieces of popcorn. A blood test, MRI scan, or PET scan will be required to diagnose a Nodular Lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.