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The word "lymphoma" is a general term used to describe a variety of cancers that affect the lymphatic system. Lymphomas originate in the lymphoid tissue of the lymphatic system and are composed of either B or T lymphocytes. Lymphomas tend to form solid tumors in the body and are often felt as a painless lump that can occur almost anywhere in the body.

The two major types of lymphomas include Hodgkin's disease (now known as Hodgkin's lymphoma) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). In general, these two types of lymphomas can be differentiated by examining the cancer cells under a microscope. The cancer cells in the lymphatic tissues of patients with Hodgkin's disease contain specific cells called Reed-Sternberg cells that are not found in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Approximately 85% of all non-Hodgkin's lymphomas originate in B-lymphocytes and are sometimes referred to as B-cell lymphomas.

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma represents the most common type of cancers of the blood-forming tissues (hematologic malignancies) and is currently the 6th leading cause of cancer death in the United States. Approximately 60,000 new cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are diagnosed in the U.S. each year with about 95% of these cases occurring in adults 40 to 70 years of age. The disease affects men more frequently than women with about 60% of cases occurring in males and 40% in females. Approximately 25,000 deaths occur each year in the U.S. that are attributed to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Epidemiological studies have found that the disease is more common in whites than in African Americans or Asians and clusters of the disease have been found in areas of the U.S. where HIV infection, the virus that causes AIDS, is prevalent.