Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are a group of rare blood cancers. They develop in T cells and affect your lymphatic system. Peripheral T-cell lymphomas can appear throughout your body and cause a range of symptoms. Your healthcare provider can recommend the best treatments, including chemotherapy and clinical trials testing new therapies.
Advertisement
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a rare group of aggressive (fast-growing) blood cancers. The cancer starts in lymphatic tissue, like your lymph nodes and spleen. But it can grow within and affect nearly every part of your body.
Advertisement
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
PTCL is an uncommon type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. It accounts for only about 1 out of every 10 cases. This means that there’s still a lot that medical experts are learning about this condition.
Healthcare providers can successfully treat most of these lymphomas. But they often come back. Medical specialists are studying treatments that may help people live longer with this condition.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes more than 30 subtypes of PTCL. The three that are most common in the U.S. make up about 6 in 10 of all diagnoses. From most to least common, they are:
There are also rarer subtypes:
Advertisement
Each PTCL subtype has specific symptoms. But common ones include:
Peripheral T-cell lymphomas happen when your T cells — a type of white blood cell — change (mutate). This makes them turn into cancerous cells that multiply uncontrollably.
Experts don’t know what makes T cells mutate in the first place.
Factors that may increase your risk of PTCL include:
Your healthcare provider will consider your symptoms and check for signs of PTCL. Diagnosis may involve several tests, including:
Healthcare providers use cancer staging systems to plan treatment. Providers stage PTCL based on factors like the subtype and where the cancerous T cells are. The stages are:
PTCL is so uncommon that healthcare providers are still learning which treatments work best. This is why your treatment plan will be customized to you. In some cases, the best treatment may be a clinical trial evaluating new PTCL treatments.
Common treatments include:
Advertisement
You’ll see your provider regularly to check on your response to treatment. They’ll also monitor any treatment side effects you’re experiencing.
But don’t wait for appointments to check in with your provider. Let them know if you’re having new side effects.
In some situations, treatment can cure PTCL. But most PTCLs don’t respond as well to standard treatments, like chemotherapy, as other types of lymphomas do. If it goes into remission (no signs or symptoms of cancer), it often comes back. At that point, your provider may suggest a different kind of treatment.
The five-year survival rate of peripheral T-cell lymphoma is 30% to 40%. This means that 3 to 4 out of every 10 people diagnosed are alive after five years. Still, your life expectancy depends on your unique diagnosis.
Living with lymphoma may mean rethinking your routines and support networks. Here are some suggestions that may help:
Advertisement
Peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) are still a bit of a mystery to medical experts. They’re much rarer than other types of non-Hodgkin lymphomas. The subtypes are so different that no one treatment plan works on all of them.
This is why it’s important to see a healthcare provider with a background in PTCLs. They can explain the factors that impact your treatment response. They can connect you with the right treatments, including those available in clinical trials. And they can connect you with others who are living with the same diagnosis. Finding the right support is essential if you’re living with this condition.
Advertisement
When you hear that you might have lymphoma, you want care from experts you can trust. At Cleveland Clinic, we craft a treatment plan tailored for you and your needs.
Last reviewed on 07/17/2025.
Learn more about the Health Library and our editorial process.