Words to know: Follicular lymphoma
- Lymphocyte
- A type of white blood cell that helps fight infection.
- B cell
- A type of lymphocyte that makes antibodies. Follicular lymphoma starts in B cells.
- T cell
- A type of lymphocyte that attacks infected or abnormal cells.
- Lymph node
- A small, bean-shaped gland that filters fluid and holds immune cells.
- Follicle
- A round cluster of B cells inside a lymph node.
- Indolent
- Slow-growing. These lymphomas may not need treatment right away.
- Grade
- How many large cells are seen under the microscope.
- Tumor burden
- How much lymphoma there is and whether it is causing problems.
- GELF criteria
- A checklist doctors use to decide if lymphoma is causing enough problems to need treatment.
- FLIPI
- A risk score for follicular lymphoma based on age, stage, blood tests, and number of lymph node areas.
- Watch and wait
- Close check-ups without treatment until treatment is needed. Also called active monitoring.
- B symptoms
- Fever, drenching night sweats, or losing a lot of weight without trying.
- PET-CT scan
- A scan that shows active cancer cells, which light up because they use more sugar.
- LDH
- A protein in the blood that can be high when lymphoma is active.
- Rituximab
- An antibody drug that attaches to CD20 on B cells and helps the immune system kill them.
- Chemoimmunotherapy
- Chemotherapy given together with an antibody drug such as rituximab.
- Maintenance
- Ongoing antibody treatment after the main treatment to help keep lymphoma away longer.
- Transformation
- When follicular lymphoma changes into a fast-growing lymphoma.
- POD24
- Lymphoma that comes back or grows within two years of starting first treatment.
- Remission
- Signs of lymphoma are gone (complete) or smaller (partial).
- Relapse
- When lymphoma comes back after treatment.
- Bispecific antibody
- A drug that links a T cell to a lymphoma cell so the T cell can kill it.
- CAR T-cell therapy
- A treatment that changes your own T cells in a lab so they can attack lymphoma.
- Cytokine release syndrome (CRS)
- A strong immune reaction that can cause fever and low blood pressure after CAR T or bispecific antibodies.
Last updated: 2026-10-27. Medically reviewed by Veli Bakalov, MD, medical oncologist (October 2026). General education from Step by Step, the patient portal of HemeOncBuddy.