Do you know what lymphoma is? More than a million people around the world have cancer, yet only half the population knows what it is. A type of lymphoma called non-Hodgkin lymphoma is one of the most common types of cancer in the United States, accounting for more than 4 percent of all cancer cases. Of all Americans, 2.1% will be diagnosed with this cancer in their lifetime, yet as common as it is, many still don't know or understand lymphoma. There are two types of lymphoma, Hodgkin's disease and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and even though they are different, they both start the same way. Like other cancers, lymphoma occurs when cells divide too quickly or do not die due to a mismatch in their genes. The cells affected by this type of cancer are white blood cells called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes make up about 20-40% of all white blood cells and are divided into two categories, B or T. Both types help support the immune system by destroying infectious or foreign substances, but B cells produce antibodies to fight these substances while T lymphocytes lymphocytes directly attack unwanted substances. These cells work in the lymphatic system which is part of the immune system. The main tasks of the lymphatic system are to protect the body from unwanted substances and transport waste. The system includes many vital organs such as the lymph nodes, spleen, bone marrow, thymus, and digestive tract. When lymphocytes become cancerous, they collect in the lymph nodes, thereby blocking the passage of waste and other white blood cells and using the nodes as a way to travel and spread to other parts of the body. These cancerous cells do not die and become a burden on the body because they are no longer able to carry out their......middle of paper......in the United States there is ABVD which includes the drugs Adriamycin , Bleomycin, Vinblastine and dacarbazine. Other treatments for lymphoma include radiation therapy, monoclonal antibodies and stem cell transplants. Radiotherapy uses high-energy rays or particles to kill cancer cells. Monoclonal antibodies use cloned antibodies as the immune system does to kill cancer cells. Stem cell transplants are injected to help create more healthy cells that can then be used to kill cancer. Although lymphoma is a complex cancer of the lymphatic system that can have devastating effects, it can be eradicated. More than 75% of people with intermediate-risk lymphoma have a survival rate of at least five years. And this rate is expected to increase as detection and treatment options improve with new genetic research and lymphoma vaccine developments. Maybe one day there will even be a cure.