Medical Health Encyclopedia

T-cell lymphomas, Hodgkin's disease, and certain leukemias and aggressive lymphomas are covered in the REAL classification but are not discussed in any depth in this report.

Groups by Slow or Fast Growth. Each non-Hodgkin's lymphoma is further defined by its grade, or how aggressive it is:

• Indolent (slow-growing), also referred to as low-grad
• Aggressive (fast-growing), also referred to as intermediate- or high-grade

According to a 2002 report, half of new cases are now intermediate-grade lymphomas. Low-grade makes up 30% and high-grade 10% of all lymphomas.

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Groups by Properties. Lymphomas are also grouped by certain properties:

• Size (large versus small)
• Shape (round versus irregular)
• Whether they are or resemble blood plasma cells
• Whether they are follicular (organized in round clusters) or diffuse (spread evenly throughout the lymph node)

Staging. Staging the disease is the next important step in classifying lymphomas. The stage (I through IV) of an NHL is determined by the number of tumors and whether they are still localized or have spread beyond the lymph node. In general, the higher the stage, the poorer the outcome, but other factors are important for a precise prognosis.