# Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (all types)

Source: https://onco.cc/cancers/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/  
OnCo record `non-hodgkin-lymphoma` (Cancer). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is not one disease but a family of about sixty cancers of B cells, T cells or NK cells, from slow-growing follicular lymphoma to aggressive diffuse large B-cell and Burkitt lymphomas. This page is the map; each subtype has its own page with its own treatment.

## Summary

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) covers every lymphoma that is not Hodgkin lymphoma. Around 85 to 90% arise from B cells, the rest from T or NK cells. The WHO classification recognises dozens of subtypes, and treatment depends far more on the subtype than on the stage: aggressive B-cell lymphomas such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma are treated to cure with R-CHOP or Pola-R-CHP and, at relapse, CAR-T or bispecific antibodies; indolent lymphomas such as follicular and marginal zone lymphoma are often watched and then controlled for years with rituximab-based therapy; mantle cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (the same disease as small lymphocytic lymphoma) are now largely managed with BTK and BCL2 inhibitors; T-cell lymphomas remain the hardest to treat. The subtype pages below carry the detail; this page exists so that a reader who has only been told 'lymphoma' can find the right one.

## Fields

- Kind: Cancer
- Last checked: 2026-09-04
- Also known as: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma; NHL; Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; Lymphoma (non-Hodgkin)
- Tags: heme; umbrella
- Group: haematologic
- Burden: About 544,000 new cases and 260,000 deaths worldwide in 2020 (GLOBOCAN); the commonest blood cancer, with some 60 subtypes ranging from slow-growing to very aggressive.
- Subtypes: Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma; Follicular lymphoma; Marginal zone lymphoma; Mantle cell lymphoma; Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia / small lymphocytic lymphoma; Burkitt lymphoma; Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma); Primary CNS lymphoma; Peripheral T-cell lymphomas; Cutaneous T-cell lymphomas; HIV-associated lymphomas
- Biomarkers: Immunophenotype (CD20, CD5, CD10, CD30 and others) that assigns the subtype; MYC, BCL2 and BCL6 rearrangements (high-grade B-cell lymphoma); Ki-67 proliferation index; Interim and end-of-treatment PET (Deauville score); Cell of origin (germinal centre versus activated B-cell) in DLBCL

## Standard of care

- Aggressive B-cell (DLBCL and related): Curative immunochemotherapy (R-CHOP or Pola-R-CHP); CAR-T or bispecific antibodies at relapse. See the DLBCL page. ([Rituximab](https://onco.cc/drugs/rituximab/), [Polatuzumab vedotin](https://onco.cc/drugs/polatuzumab-vedotin/))
- Indolent B-cell (follicular, marginal zone): Watch and wait when asymptomatic; rituximab alone or with bendamustine or CHOP when treatment is needed; bispecifics and CAR-T for later relapses. See the follicular lymphoma page. ([Rituximab](https://onco.cc/drugs/rituximab/), [Bendamustine](https://onco.cc/drugs/bendamustine/))
- Mantle cell lymphoma and CLL: BTK inhibitors and venetoclax-based regimens have largely replaced chemotherapy. See the mantle cell and CLL pages. ([Ibrutinib](https://onco.cc/drugs/ibrutinib/), [Venetoclax](https://onco.cc/drugs/venetoclax/))
- T-cell lymphomas: CHOP-based chemotherapy, brentuximab vedotin for CD30-positive disease, transplant in first remission for fit patients. See the peripheral T-cell lymphoma page. ([Brentuximab vedotin](https://onco.cc/drugs/brentuximab-vedotin/))

## Open problems

- Relapsed T-cell lymphomas still lack effective options.
- Access to CAR-T and bispecifics outside high-income countries.

## Sources

- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non-Hodgkin_lymphoma
- NCI: Lymphoma: https://www.cancer.gov/types/lymphoma
- GLOBOCAN 2020 (Sung 2021): https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21660

## Connected records

- cancers: [Burkitt lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/burkitt-lymphoma/), [Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia](https://onco.cc/cancers/cll/), [Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/dlbcl/), [Follicular lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/follicular-lymphoma/), [HIV-associated (AIDS-related) lymphomas](https://onco.cc/cancers/hiv-associated-lymphoma/), [Hodgkin lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/hodgkin-lymphoma/), [Mantle cell lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/mantle-cell-lymphoma/), [Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (including cutaneous T-cell lymphoma)](https://onco.cc/cancers/peripheral-t-cell-lymphoma/), [Primary CNS lymphoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/primary-cns-lymphoma/), [Waldenström macroglobulinaemia](https://onco.cc/cancers/waldenstrom/)
- technologies: [Antibody-drug conjugate (ADC)](https://onco.cc/technologies/adc/), [CAR-T cell therapy](https://onco.cc/technologies/car-t/), [T-cell engagers (bispecific)](https://onco.cc/technologies/t-cell-engager/)
- targets: [BCL-2](https://onco.cc/targets/bcl2/), [BTK (Bruton tyrosine kinase)](https://onco.cc/targets/btk/), [CD19](https://onco.cc/targets/cd19/), [CD20](https://onco.cc/targets/cd20/), [CD30](https://onco.cc/targets/cd30/)
- drugs: [Axicabtagene ciloleucel](https://onco.cc/drugs/axicabtagene-ciloleucel/), [Bendamustine](https://onco.cc/drugs/bendamustine/), [Brentuximab vedotin](https://onco.cc/drugs/brentuximab-vedotin/), [Epcoritamab](https://onco.cc/drugs/epcoritamab/), [Glofitamab](https://onco.cc/drugs/glofitamab/), [Ibrutinib](https://onco.cc/drugs/ibrutinib/), [Mosunetuzumab](https://onco.cc/drugs/mosunetuzumab/), [Obecabtagene autoleucel](https://onco.cc/drugs/obecabtagene-autoleucel/), [Polatuzumab vedotin](https://onco.cc/drugs/polatuzumab-vedotin/), [Rituximab](https://onco.cc/drugs/rituximab/), [Venetoclax](https://onco.cc/drugs/venetoclax/)

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