What Is Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma?
Anaplastic large cell lymphoma, or ALCL, is a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Like all forms of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, it is a cancer of the blood. It is one of the rarer forms of lymphoma, and comprises only about 10 to 20 percent of adult cases of lymphoma and 3 percent of children’s cases. Similar to the other kinds of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, anaplastic large cell lymphoma is a cancer to the body’s lymphatic system. The lymphatic system is the body’s immune system, which includes the lymph nodes, spleen, liver and diaphragm. White blood cells are produced by the lymphatic system and are distributed throughout the body to combat infection or illness.
