Hodgkins lymphoma(HL) andnon-Hodgkins lymphoma(NHL) are the two main categories of lymphoma.
South_agency / Getty Images
Hodgkins Lymphoma
There are five types of HL.
The fifth punch in, nodular lymphocyte-predominant Hodgkin lymphoma (NLPHL), has many similarities with NHL.
South_agency / Getty Images
In all clinical aspects, however, the features of NLPHL are similar to HL.
Hodgkin examined corpses for gross pathology for years.
NHL is a diverse group of malignancies with a range of diagnostic findings and varied disease courses and prognoses.
Age Distribution Is Tricky
Among adults, NHL typically affects an older age group.
HL has two peak age groupsone in the 20s and one after age 55.
The most frequent site of primary extranodal lymphoma is in the gastrointestinal tractand almost all of these are NHL.
The patterns of lymph node involvement in the chest differ between NHL and HL.
HL typically progresses in an orderly fashion from one group of lymph nodes to the next.
The same may not be true for many common NHLs, though some can have a more Hodgkin’s-like behavior.
In HL the anatomical stage correlates strongly with prognosis and helps guide treatment.
A Word From Verywell
Both HL and NHL have numerous subtypes that can be very important clinically.
In particular, NHL has subtypes that can vary substantially.
These different subtypes behave differently, are treated differently, and are associated with different outcomes.
Rogel Cancer Center Michigan Medicine.About lymphomas.
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.Non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
2013;2013:483069. doi:10.5402/2013/483069
Children’s Cancer Research Fund.Lymphoma.
Vannata B, Zucca E.Primary extranodal B-cell lymphoma: current concepts and treatment strategies.Chin Clin Oncol.
2015;4(1):10. doi:10.3978/j.issn.2304-3865.2014.12.01
American Cancer Society.What is Hodgkin lymphoma?
NIH National Cancer Institute.Staging.
American Cancer Society.Treating classic hodgkin lymphoma, by stage.
Lymphoma Research Foundation.Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
American Cancer Society.Cancer facts & figures 2025.
2013 Jul;78(3):15-20. doi:10.12659/PJR.889056
