Overview

This guideline covers diagnosing, staging and managing non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in people aged 16 years and over. It includes radiotherapy, systemic anticancer therapy and stem cell transplantation treatments for follicular, MALT, mantle cell, diffuse large B-cell, Burkitt and peripheral T-cell lymphoma.

This guideline refers to NHS England commissioning policies. In Wales and Northern Ireland, follow Welsh or Northern Irish commissioning positions if applicable.

Some of the treatment options recommended in the NICE technology appraisal guidance may also be available to young people aged 16 and 17 with NHL under the NHS England commissioning medicines for children in specialised services policy.

NICE has also produced a COVID-19 rapid guideline on haematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Last reviewed: 2 June 2026

We added links to relevant technology appraisal guidance in the sections on treating follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma, relapsed or refractory high-grade B-cell lymphoma, relapsed or refractory primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma and Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinaemia. This is to provide easy access to relevant guidance at the right point in the guideline only and is not a change in practice. We also simplified the guideline by removing recommendations on general principles of care that are covered in other NICE guidelines.

Next review: This guideline will be reviewed if there is new evidence that is likely to change the recommendations

How we prioritise updating our guidance

Decisions about updating our guidance are made by NICE’s prioritisation board. For more information on the principles and process, see NICE-wide topic prioritisation: the manual.

For information about individual topics, including any decisions affecting this guideline, see the summary table of prioritisation board decisions.

Recommendations

This guideline includes recommendations on:

Who is it for?

Healthcare professionals
Commissioners and providers
People aged 16 years and over with non-Hodgkin lymphoma and their families and carers

Guideline development process

How we develop NICE guidelines

Your responsibility

The recommendations in this guideline represent the view of NICE, arrived at after careful consideration of the evidence available. When exercising their judgement, professionals and practitioners are expected to take this guideline fully into account, alongside the individual needs, preferences and values of their patients or the people using their service. It is not mandatory to apply the recommendations, and the guideline does not override the responsibility to make decisions appropriate to the circumstances of the individual, in consultation with them and their families and carers or guardian.

All problems (adverse events) related to a medicine or medical device used for treatment or in a procedure should be reported to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency using the Yellow Card Scheme.

Local commissioners and providers of healthcare have a responsibility to enable the guideline to be applied when individual professionals and people using services wish to use it. They should do so in the context of local and national priorities for funding and developing services, and in light of their duties to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination, to advance equality of opportunity and to reduce health inequalities. Nothing in this guideline should be interpreted in a way that would be inconsistent with complying with those duties.

Commissioners and providers have a responsibility to promote an environmentally sustainable health and care system and should assess and reduce the environmental impact of implementing NICE recommendations wherever possible.

Related quality standards

Haematological cancers