Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL)

Symptoms of angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) often include:

• feeling generally unwell
• having a rash or itchy skin
• having swellings in the neck, armpit or groin - these are caused by lymphoma cells building up in the lymph nodes.

Some people also have symptoms that doctors call B symptoms. These can include:

• drenching night sweats which require a change of nightwear and bed covers
• high temperatures (fevers) with no obvious cause
• unexplained weight loss.

Knowing if you have any B symptoms will help your doctor to stage the lymphoma and plan your treatment.

Sometimes AITL spreads to other areas of the body, such as the lungs or tummy area (abdomen).

Depending on where the lymphoma spreads to, this can cause symptoms such as:

• shortness of breath
• a swollen tummy.

General symptoms of AITL may include loss of appetite and tiredness.

We have more information about the signs and symptoms of lymphoma.

Angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) often causes symptoms that are like other conditions. This sometimes makes diagnosis difficult.

The most common test for diagnosing lymphoma is a biopsy. A doctor will take a sample of tissue from the affected area. The most common place to take a biopsy from is an enlarged lymph node. This is called a lymph node biopsy. You may have all or a part of the lymph node removed. The tissue will be sent to a laboratory for testing. You may also have biopsies taken from other areas of your body.

You can find out more about further tests you may have in our information about non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

Waiting for test results can be difficult. You may find it helpful to talk to your family, friends or specialist nurse.

A team of specialists will meet to discuss the best possible treatment for you. This is called a multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Your doctor, cancer specialist or nurse will explain the different treatments and their side effects. They will also talk to you about things to consider when making treatment decisions. 

Treatment depends on the stage of the lymphoma, and whether you have symptoms that are causing problems. The aim of treatment is to control the lymphoma for as long as possible. This is called remission.

You may have some treatments as part of a clinical trial.

The most common treatments are:

Treatments may make all signs of the AITL disappear (called remission). But there is a risk AITL will come back. This is called recurrence or relapse. If this happens, further treatment can usually be given to manage AITL. We have more information about treating lymphoma that has come back.

We are working to make our website as accessible as possible. We want everyone to be able to use it to find the information they need. We have tips about using settings on your computer or device to help you use our website in our accessibility statement.

We also provide information in a range of languages and formats. If you cannot find the information you are looking for in the format or language you need, email us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk

Download our lymphoma booklet and ebooks

You can listen to our Understanding non-Hodgkin lymphoma audiobook. You can also search our full range of audiobooks.

We have a range of translated cancer information. This includes information about different cancer types, being diagnosed, cancer treatment, and side effects. We have some lymphoma information in the following languages. You can also search our most up to date list of web pages we have translated on request.

• Bulgarian - Mantle cell lymphoma / Мантелноклетъчен лимфом [PDF]
• German - Follicular lymphoma / Follikuläres Lymphom (FL) [PDF]
• Polish - Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) / Chłoniak rozlany z dużych komórek B [PDF]
• Polish - Lymphoma / Chłoniak [PDF]
• Slovak - Anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) / Anaplastický veľkobunkový lymfóm [PDF]
• Slovak - Follicular lymphoma  / Folikulový lymfóm [PDF]
• Tamil - Follicular lymphoma [PDF]

If you would like any of our lymphoma information translated into your language, please email cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk

Watch British sign language videos

You can watch our BSL videos about cancer on YouTube.

Find our easy read booklets

Our easy read booklets use simple words and pictures to tell you about cancer. They can be useful if you want information that is easier to understand. 

Looking for large print, Braille or another format?

If you would like our information in a different format such as large print or Braille, email us at cancerinformationteam@macmillan.org.uk or call us free on 0808 808 00 00.