Hodgkin's and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma When cells in the lymphatic system grow at an abnormal rate, a malignant tumor, called cancer, is created. Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma are both cancers that originate in the white blood cells, in the lymphatic system. The system is responsible for fighting infections, bacteria, viruses and removing damaged cells by producing lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell important for the immune system; they decide how the immune system will respond to infections or any familiar organisms). The system also communicates with the blood circulatory system by transporting lymph (a clear fluid that carries lymphocytes, waste, and excess fluid from tissues into the blood system through the thoracic duct). If B cells and T cells are identified under a microscope then it is non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. If Reed-Sternberg cells are present then it is Hodgkin's lymphoma. There are several tools to diagnose these tumors and several treatment options. An FDA (Food and Drug Administration)-approved treatment appears to be more successful in fighting non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Most patients treated with chemotherapy alone will achieve remission at some point, but will eventually die. However, the development of new treatments in which chemotherapy or radiotherapy are given in addition to monoclonal antibodies has a higher success rate in defeating cancer as a whole. Monoclonal antibodies are molecules designed in the laboratory to bind to a specific protein found only in B cells. The immune system's job is to fight invaders, but it does not always recognize cancer as a harmful invader and does not attack it. Monoclonal antibodies aim to attach to a specific part of the cancer, marking the cancer cell as harmful and allowing the immune system to easily identify and destroy it. Scientists are trying to find out why lymphocytes turn into cancer, why they grow quickly or live longer than they should. Once this is understood, attention will be focused on finding a cure for the disease. There are new drugs being tested on patients and studies are underway on how to improve steam cell transplantation and new drugs are being tested. A cure may be out of reach for now, but treatments and research are making progress