Why getting an accurate lymphoma diagnosis matters
April 23, 2026
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with lymphoma, you might think all you need to know is whether it’s Hodgkin or non-Hodgkin. But is that distinction enough to move forward confidently with a treatment plan? Or, is there more you should find out first?
Lymphoma specialists Sairah Ahmed, M.D., and Jason Westin, M.D., weighed in on this topic during a recent episode of UT MD Anderson’s Cancerwise podcast. Here are three reasons why getting an accurate lymphoma diagnosis is so important.
There are more than 140 different subtypes
Getting an accurate lymphoma diagnosis is critical because there are so many different subtypes. Hodgkin lymphoma only has four. But non-Hodgkin lymphoma has roughly 140. Some subtypes have additional varieties even beyond that.
Why does this matter?
“It’s kind of like someone saying, ‘I like music,’” explains Westin. “Well, which type do you like? Classical or heavy metal? There’s a wide variety of music genres out there — and some have pretty significant differences between them. So, if somebody just says, ‘You have lymphoma,’ that’s not really enough information to go on.”
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Why a correct lymphoma diagnosis matters
Your disease subtype will determine your treatment
Another reason an accurate diagnosis matters? Your specific lymphoma subtype determines your treatment.
“The way we treat lymphoma today is very different from how we treated it 30 years ago,” notes Ahmed. “Cellular therapy has changed the way we treat lymphoma forever. Part of the change involves the use of targeted therapy and immunotherapy, which greatly depends on the markers that sit on top of the lymphoma cells. If you don’t have the right diagnosis based on the right markers, then you could potentially over-treat or mistreat a patient because you’re not using the right drugs.”
A lymphoma subtype can sometimes morph into something else
Lymphoma can sometimes morph into an entirely different variety, especially if the disease recurs.
“You can have an indolent lymphoma turn into a more aggressive subtype,” says Ahmed. “You can also have a person with two completely different kinds of lymphoma.”
“That’s why repeat biopsies are critical,” adds Westin. “The next targeted therapy agent you choose could be going after a target that’s no longer there. And, it’s not going to work if the cancer cell is not making that target anymore.”
To hear the complete conversation between Ahmed and Westin, listen to the podcast.
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