Written by Dr. Basudev Pokhrel, Haematologist (MBBS, MD, DM Clinical Haematology) · Medically reviewed by Dr. C. Raghavendra Reddy, Medical Oncologist (MBBS Gold Medal, DNB, DM Medical Oncology Gold Medal) · Last reviewed May 2026
Lymphoma is among the most curable cancers in adults — Hodgkin lymphoma has cure rates above 85%, and even the most common aggressive form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma is cured in more than 60% of patients with modern treatment. The challenge is that lymphoma often presents with symptoms easily mistaken for ordinary infection — a swollen gland in the neck, persistent low-grade fever, unexplained tiredness. Recognising the warning signs early, and acting on a swelling that doesn't settle, is the single biggest factor in outcome.
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system — the network of lymph nodes, lymphatic vessels, spleen, thymus, bone marrow and other lymphoid tissues that forms a critical part of the body's immune defence. Lymphoma begins when one type of immune cell, the lymphocyte, undergoes a genetic change and starts to multiply uncontrollably. Because the lymphatic system reaches every part of the body, lymphoma can appear almost anywhere — most often in lymph nodes in the neck, armpit, groin, chest or abdomen, but also in the spleen, gut, skin, brain, or bone marrow.
Lymphoma is divided into two broad families: Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, distinguished by the presence or absence of a particular abnormal cell called the Reed-Sternberg cell. The two behave differently, are treated differently, and have different outlooks — which is why one of the first things a haematologist or medical oncologist will do is establish which family a particular lymphoma belongs to. Both groups are highly responsive to chemotherapy, and many patients today are cured with treatment regimens that have been refined over the last three decades.
Lymphomas are grouped into two broad families that together include more than 60 specific subtypes. The four most clinically important groupings are:
Defined by the presence of a particular abnormal cell called the Reed-Sternberg cell. It typically affects younger adults (teens to thirties) and older adults (above 55), and most often starts in lymph nodes in the neck or chest. Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most curable cancers — cure rates exceed 85% with modern combination chemotherapy (the ABVD regimen and its variants), sometimes combined with radiation for early-stage disease.
The most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in adults, accounting for around 30% of all lymphoma cases. DLBCL is aggressive and grows rapidly, but it is also highly responsive to treatment. The standard regimen, R-CHOP (rituximab combined with CHOP chemotherapy), cures more than 60% of patients, with even higher cure rates for early-stage disease.
A common slow-growing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Many patients live with follicular lymphoma for years or decades, often with periods of treatment alternating with periods of watchful waiting. Modern targeted therapy and immunotherapy have meaningfully improved long-term outcomes.
Includes mantle cell lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, MALT lymphoma (often in the stomach, linked to H. pylori infection), Burkitt lymphoma (very fast-growing but highly curable), T-cell lymphomas, and CNS lymphomas. Each requires a tailored treatment plan from a specialist haematology-oncology team.
For detailed information on diagnosis, staging PET scans, modern chemoimmunotherapy regimens, targeted therapy, CAR-T cell therapy and stem cell transplant, see our dedicated page on lymphoma treatment in Hyderabad.
Lymphoma symptoms are often vague and overlap with common infections. The most important early signs are:
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Lymphoma is highly curable when caught early. A short specialist review is usually all it takes to know what you're dealing with.
Lymphoma is among the more common cancers in young and middle-aged adults across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh — and unusually, it is one cancer where outcomes in modern Indian centres are now comparable to international benchmarks. The most common pattern of delayed diagnosis is straightforward: a painless swelling in the neck or armpit is treated for several weeks as a presumed infection (lymphadenitis or tuberculosis), and only after antibiotic treatment fails is a lymph node biopsy considered. In a region where TB is genuinely common, this caution is understandable — but anyone with a lymph node swelling lasting more than 3–4 weeks, especially if combined with fever, night sweats or weight loss (the so-called B symptoms), should have a lymph node biopsy rather than another empirical course of treatment. Aarogyasri now covers most lymphoma chemotherapy regimens, and Hyderabad has well-established haematology and bone marrow transplant services.
The exact cause of most lymphomas is not identifiable. Known risk factors include:
Any of the following should prompt a haematology-oncology evaluation — ideally including a lymph node biopsy rather than further empirical antibiotic treatment:
A short specialist consultation and the right diagnostic test — imaging, endoscopy, biopsy, or blood test as appropriate — is usually enough to confirm or rule out cancer. Early action is always easier than catching up later.
Our NABH-accredited centres across Hyderabad deliver evidence-based lymphoma care — from excisional lymph node biopsy and PET-CT staging through to modern chemoimmunotherapy regimens (R-CHOP, ABVD and their variants), targeted therapy, immunotherapy, autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplant where indicated, and access to CAR-T cell therapy for eligible patients — guided by NCCN and ESMO protocols and reviewed for every patient by a multidisciplinary haematology-oncology tumour board.
For a detailed walk-through of lymphoma diagnosis, treatment options, costs, and our specialist team, see our dedicated page on lymphoma treatment in Hyderabad.
Most lymphoma patients started where you are now — with a swelling, a worry, or an inconclusive scan. Here's what came next.
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Start Your Story. Book Free Consultation.The most common first sign is a painless swelling of one or more lymph nodes — usually in the neck, armpit, groin or above the collarbone — that lasts more than 3–4 weeks. Other early signs include persistent low-grade fever, drenching night sweats, unintended weight loss of more than 10% over 6 months, persistent fatigue, and persistent itching. The combination of a painless swelling with any of fever, night sweats or weight loss (collectively called B symptoms) is particularly important and deserves urgent evaluation.
Hodgkin lymphoma is defined by the presence of a particular abnormal cell called the Reed-Sternberg cell — visible only under the microscope on a lymph node biopsy. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a much larger family of cancers (more than 60 subtypes) without this cell. Hodgkin lymphoma tends to affect younger adults, usually starts in lymph nodes in the neck or chest, and has cure rates above 85%. Non-Hodgkin lymphoma varies enormously by subtype — from very slow-growing forms that may not need immediate treatment to aggressive types that need urgent therapy. The two are diagnosed only by biopsy and treated differently.
Lymphoma and leukaemia are both cancers of white blood cells, but they begin in different places and behave differently. Lymphoma starts in lymphocytes within the lymph nodes, spleen, or other lymphoid tissues, and usually presents with swollen lymph nodes. Leukaemia starts in the blood-forming cells of the bone marrow, and usually presents with abnormalities of the blood — anaemia, easy bruising, frequent infections, fatigue. There is some overlap (chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and small lymphocytic lymphoma are essentially the same disease in different locations), but most lymphomas and leukaemias are distinct conditions requiring different treatment approaches.
Yes — lymphoma is among the most curable cancers. Hodgkin lymphoma has cure rates above 85%, and even widespread Stage IV disease is often cured with combination chemotherapy. The most common aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma (DLBCL) has cure rates above 60% with R-CHOP chemoimmunotherapy. Slow-growing lymphomas like follicular lymphoma may not be cured but can be controlled for many years with modern targeted therapy. For relapsed or treatment-resistant lymphomas, stem cell transplant and CAR-T cell therapy now offer additional curative options.
No — most swollen lymph nodes are caused by infection (a sore throat, dental infection, skin infection, tuberculosis, viral illnesses), and most settle on their own within 2–3 weeks. The features that raise concern for lymphoma are: a painless swelling, no obvious infection or response to antibiotics, persistence beyond 3–4 weeks, swelling above the collarbone, multiple sites of swelling, and any combination with fever, night sweats, or weight loss. A specialist examination — and, when indicated, a lymph node biopsy — is the only reliable way to distinguish between an infection and lymphoma.
