Lymphoma

Lymphoma is blood cancer that starts in the lymph system, which is part of the immune system.

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Lymphoma starts in cells called lymphocytes. The main difference between Hodgkin disease and non-Hodgkin lymphoma is in which kinds of lymphocytes are affected.

Hodgkin lymphoma is a type of lymphoma that occurs in lymph nodes. There are many different types of non-Hodkin lymphoma, which affect the lymph system.

Risk factors for lymphoma

The cause of lymphoma is not clear, but lymphoma is most likely to occur in people in their 20s or over age 55. Men are also more likely than women to get lymphoma.

Risk factors for lymphoma include:

People who have had mononucleosis, also called mono, have a slightly higher risk of getting Hodgkin disease.
If someone in your immediate family has non-Hodgkin lymphoma, or if a sibling has Hodgkin disease, your risk of lymphoma is higher.
People whose immune system is weakened, either by drugs (such as after an organ transplant) or by an auto-immune disorder (such as HIV) have a higher risk.

Signs and symptoms of lymphoma

A swollen lymph node is the most common symptom of lymphoma.

You have hundreds of lymph nodes all over your body, and there are clusters of them in your armpit, groin, and neck. Painless swelling in those areas of your body could be a sign of lymphoma.

Other symptoms of lymphoma include:

Fatigue, tiredness, or weakness
Fever
Drenching night sweats
Loss of appetite
Weight loss
Coughing
Chest pain
Abdominal pain

However, these can also be signs of many less serious conditions. Speak to your provider if you experience any of these symptoms.

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Specialized, multidisciplinary care for lymphoma

At University of Iowa Health Care Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, our experts are dedicated to only treating blood cancers like lymphoma. Our fellowship-trained medical oncologists and hematopathologists focus primarily on lymphoma. This leads to a deeper understanding of lymphoma and greater expertise.

We use a team approach to treat your lymphoma. Our experts — medical oncologists, radiation oncologists, and others — work together to offer advanced treatments and therapies tailored for you.

Coordinated care through nurse navigators. Your care team includes a nurse navigator who coordinates all of your care. We also offer counseling services, support groups, and more for you and your family.

First-of-their-kind treatments

University of Iowa Health Care is home to the state’s only comprehensive Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy program. A bone marrow transplant or stem cell transplant allows a doctor to use high doses of chemotherapy and radiation to kill cancer cells in the bone marrow and then replace them with new bone marrow cells through a transplant.

CAR T-cell therapy is a new type of cellular therapy. It is a groundbreaking technology that uses a genetically improved version of a cancer patient’s own white blood cells to kill the cancer cells in the patient’s body.

Treatments for lymphoma

Lymphoma treatments depend on the type of disease, and the patient. Treatment plans may include active surveillance if your lymphoma is slow-growing or doesn’t cause symptoms. Treatments include:

Chemotherapy
Radiation therapy
Immunotherapy
Stem cell transplant and cellular therapy
CAR T-cell therapy
Targeted therapy
Clinical Trials

We also offer clinical trials, which are research studies that test the latest treatments and drugs that are not yet available to the public. Many innovative treatments used today, like CAR T-cell therapy, started as a clinical trial. These new treatments have the potential to improve your quality of life or increase your chances of survival.