Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma refers to a group of blood cancers that develop in the lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells. More than 60,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma each year, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

It is more common than Hodgkin’s lymphoma, which occurs when cells in the lymph nodes start producing malignant cells. There are a number of different forms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, the most common of which are B-cell lymphomas, such as large B-cell lymphoma or follicular lymphoma. 

Symptoms of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma may include swelling of the lymph nodes in the armpits, neck or groin, abdominal pain or swelling, chest pain, fatigue, fever, night sweats, and unexplained weight loss. 

Risk factors for non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma include being over the age of 60; use of immunosuppressant drugs; having a weakened immune system; certain infections, such as HIV or Epstein-Bar virus; and exposure to certain chemicals. 

Treatment of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma will depend on the form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma but may include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, stem cell transplants, and medications to boost the immune system or deliver radioactive isotopes to tumors.

Drug classes commonly used to treat non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas are systemic corticosteroids, plain, protein kinase inhibitors, nitrogen mustard analogs, antineoplastic retinoids, interferons, alpha, folic acid analogs, colony-stimulating factors, other cytotoxic antibiotics, histone deacetylase inhibitors, other specific antirheumatics, antineoplastic monoclonal antibodies, and histone deacetylase inhibitors.