According to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, lymphoma is more common in adults, but it is actually the third most common form of cancer in children. In the United States, about 2,200 people under age 20 are diagnosed with lymphoma each year.
Lymphoma begins in the lymphocytes, which are normal cells that are a part of the immune system. These normal cells are transported throughout the body by the lymphatics, a system of small vessels usually found close to normal blood vessels. Lymph nodes are normal small collections of lymphocytes that are found in the center of the chest, under the arms, in the neck, in the abdomen and in the groin. These nodes are connected by means of the lymphatics, small channels that connect the lymph nodes, and lymphocytes are free to move through these channels. They are also capable of moving throughout the body via the blood and can be found in many normal organs, including the bone marrow, spleen, thymus and digestive tract.
Lymphoma develops when lymphocytes undergo genetic mutations that cause them to grow uncontrollably. There are two broad categories of lymphomas:
Hodgkin lymphoma and Non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Both types are cancers that develop in lymph nodes, and have the potential to start growing and spread to other nodes or normal tissues. In general, Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma behave quite differently in children.
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