Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas (NHLs) are a diverse group of cancers caused by tumors in the body's lymphocytes, or immune system cells. There are many types of NHLs, each of which is classified according to its rate of growth (slow-growing, intermediate or aggressive) and tumor cell type--B-cell (tumors that attack B-cell lymphocytes that normally fight bacteria) or T-cell (tumors that attack T-cell lymphocytes normally responsible for directing B-lymphocytes and the body's immune response).
Indolent Lymphomas
Indolent, or slow-growing, low-grade lymphomas are typically characterized by a long survival period and rapid response to many treatments; however, they are not generally cured in response to standard therapies, according to the Merck Manuals Online Medical Library (MMOML). The most common slow-growing lymphoma is follicular lymphoma, which accounts for 70 percent of all low-grade B-cell lymphomas, according to the Oncology Channel. Other B-cell subtypes include small cell lymphocytic/prolymphocytic lymphoma, lymphoplasmacytoid lymphoma (or Waldenström macroglobulinemia) and marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (called monocytoid B-cell lymphoma if it directly affects the lymph nodes or mucosa-associated lymphatic tissue, or "MALT" lymphoma if it affects lymphatic tissue of other organs or body sites such as the skin, thyroid or stomach).
T-cell indolent lymphomas include large granular lymphocyte leukemia, adult T-Cell lymphoma and the rare cutaneous lymphoma called mycosis fungoides (whose aggressive form is known as Sézary Syndrome).
Moderately Aggressive Lymphomas
Moderately aggressive, intermediate-grade lymphomas progress somewhat rapidly without treatment. Initial treatment of these lymphoma types is often very successful, and remission can be induced in approximately 50 to 75 percent of cases, according to Cedars-Sinai. Intermediate-grade lymphomas of the B-cell type include diffuse large-cell lymphoma, certain mantle cell lymphomas and large-cell follicle lymphoma, according to the Oncology Channel. Moderately aggressive T-cell types include adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (occasionally seen in chronic form), angiocentric lymphoma and angioimmunoblastic lymphoma.
Aggressive and Highly Aggressive Lymphomas
Aggressive, or high-grade, lymphomas progress rapidly without therapy but have high rates of cure in response to standard chemotherapy, according to MMOML. According to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is the most common fast-growing lymphoma. Aggressive T-cell subtypes include anaplastic large cell lymphoma, intestinal T-cell lymphoma and Sézary Syndrome.
Highly aggressive B-cell lymphomas include small non-cleaved cell lymphomas and Burkitt's lymphoma (occurring primarily in children and adults with compromised immune systems), transformed MALT lymphoma, large-cell immunoblastic lymphoma (a more aggressive version of intermediate diffuse large-cell lymphoma) and most types of mantle cell lymphomas. Highly aggressive T-cell subtypes include lymphoblastic lymphoma and most types of peripheral T-cell lymphomas.
