cancer center

What Is the Survival Rate for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL, lymphoma) is a cancer of the lymphocytes, which are part of the immune system. The five-year survival rate for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, ranges from 55% to 73%. The five-year survival rate for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, ranges from 85% to 96%.
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL, lymphoma) is a cancer of the lymphocytes, which are part of the immune system. The five-year survival rate for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, ranges from 55% to 73%. The five-year survival rate for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, ranges from 85% to 96%.

Life expectancy for cancers is often expressed in five-year survival rates, which is the percent of patients still alive 5 years following diagnosis. 

The five-year survival rate for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: 

  • Localized (cancer is limited to one lymph node area, one lymphoid organ, or one organ outside the lymph system): 73%
  • Regional (cancer reaches from one lymph node area to a nearby organ, is found in two or more lymph node areas on the same side of the diaphragm, or is considered bulky disease): 72%
  • Distant (cancer has spread to distant parts of the body such as the lungs, liver, or bone marrow, or to lymph node areas above and below the diaphragm): 55%

The five-year survival rate for non-Hodgkin lymphoma, follicular lymphoma:

  • Localized is 96%
  • Regional is 89%
  • Distant is 85%

What Is Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (sometimes called NHL, or just lymphoma) is a cancer of the lymphocytes, which are cells that are part of the body's immune system. In lymphoma, lymphocytes become abnormal and grow out of control and can travel throughout the body and collect in the lymph nodes, causing them to swell. 

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is different from Hodgkin lymphoma, which behaves, spreads, and responds to treatment differently.

What Are Symptoms of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Symptoms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma include:

Some people with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma have what are known as B symptoms:

  • Fever (which can come and go over several days or weeks) without an infection
  • Drenching night sweats that soak through clothing
  • Weight loss without trying (at least 10% of body weight over 6 months)

What Causes Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Causes of non-Hodgkin lymphoma include:

  • Genetic mutations
  • Changes in the immune system
  • Immune deficiencies (due to inherited conditions, certain drug treatments, organ transplants, or HIV infection) 
  • Autoimmune diseases 
  • Chronic infections 

Risk factors for developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma include:

  • Age over 60
  • Gender: tends to be more common in men than in women, but some types of NHL are more common in women
  • Race, ethnicity, and geography: more common in Caucasians than African Americans and Asian Americans, and more common in developed countries
  • Family history
  • Exposure to certain chemicals and drugs, such as benzene, certain herbicides and insecticides, some chemotherapy drugs used to treat other cancers, and certain drugs used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, such as methotrexate and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) inhibitors
  • Radiation exposure: radiation therapy treatment for other cancers and survivors of atomic bombs and nuclear reactor accidents
  • Weakened immune system
  • Autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus), Sjögren disease, and celiac disease
  • Certain infections
  • Being overweight or obese
  • Breast implants (rare)

How Is Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Diagnosed?

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is diagnosed with a physical exam and tests such as:

What Is the Treatment for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma?

Treatments for non-Hodgkin lymphoma may include one or more of the following:

  • Chemotherapy, alone or in combination
  • Corticosteroids
  • Platinum drugs
  • Purine analogs 
  • Anti-metabolites 
  • Anthracyclines
  • Others
  • Immunotherapy 
  • Antibodies that target CD19
    • Tafasitamab (Monjuvi) 
  • Antibodies targeting CD52
  • Antibodies that target CD30
  • Antibodies that target CD79b
    • Polatuzumab vedotin (Polivy) 
  • Immune checkpoint inhibitors
    • Pembrolizumab (Keytruda) 
  • Immunomodulating drugs
  • Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy
    • Axicabtagene ciloleucel (Yescarta, also known as axi-cel) 
    • Tisagenlecleucel (Kymriah, also known as tisa-cel) 
    • Lisocabtagene maraleucel (Breyanzi, also known as liso-cel) 
    • Brexucabtagene autoleucel (Tecartus, also known as brexu-cel) 
  • Targeted therapy
  • Histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors
  • BTK inhibitors
    • Ibrutinib (Imbruvica) 
    • Acalabrutinib (Calquence) 
    • Zanubrutinib (Brukinsa) 
  • PI3K inhibitors
    • Idelalisib (Zydelig) 
    • Copanlisib (Aliqopa) 
    • Duvelisib (Copiktra) 
    • Umbralisib (Ukoniq) 
  • EZH2 inhibitor
    • Tazemetostat (Tazverik) 
  • Nuclear export inhibitor
    • Selinexor (Xpovio) 
  • Radiation therapy 
  • Bone marrow transplant (also called stem cell transplant) 
  • Palliative and supportive care
    • Care aimed at helping with problems related to the NHL and its treatment
    • Treatments to prevent infections
    • Treatments for low blood counts
    • Treatment to relieve symptoms such as nausea or pain

Health Solutions From Our Sponsors

From WebMD Logo

Cancer Resources
Featured Centers
Health Solutions From Our Sponsors
References
https://www.cancer.org/cancer/non-hodgkin-lymphoma/about.html