Home > Encyclopedia of Cancer > Central Nervous System Lymphoma

Definition

Central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma is a malignant growth, or neoplasm, that originates in the white blood cells of the lymphatic fluid in the brain and spinal cord.

Description

CNS lymphoma affects the brain and the spinal cord, the two components of the CNS. The brain and spinal cord work together to control, monitor, and interpret all the physical and mental processes of the body. They make possible the activities a person takes for granted, such as walking, talking, thinking and remembering. A malignancy, or neoplasm, in the brain or spinal cord interferes with the normal functions of the body.

An uncontrolled growth of cells called lymphocytes causes lymphoma. Lymphocytes are the...