Adapted for the Canadian edition by Carol Sawka, MD
Lymphoma is not one disease, but rather consists of about 20 different types of tumors. In general, lymphoma is a cancer of a type of white blood cell called the lymphocyte, an extremely important cell in the immune system . In lymphoma, the lymphocytes start to grow for no known reason and continue to grow and expand, seemingly unable to stop. The result is enlargement of lymph glands or other organs in which lymphocytes normally grow and the development of "lumps and bumps" on the body. Dysfunction of various organs may also develop as the abnormal lymphocytes grow, taking up so much space that normal cells don't have room to function.
Types The lymphomas occurring in people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) are high-grade, B cell lymphomas. These are tumors that grow very rapidly. They usually consist of either small non-cleaved lymphoma (also called Burkitt's lymphoma) or immunoblastic lymphoma.
