What to Know About Jane Fonda's Diagnosis of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma

Todd Williamson/NBC/Getty Jane Fonda in February 2021 at the Golden Globe Awards

More than 80,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma this year, according to the Lymphoma Research Foundation — and  on Friday, Jane Fonda revealed that she's among that number.

The 84-year-old Academy Award winner said in an Instagram message that she's begun undergoing chemotherapy and is "handling the treatments quite well."

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, the seventh most common cancer affecting adults in the U.S. according to the LRF, begins in your lymphatic system, which is part of your body's immune system. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, or NHL, is not a single type of cancer, but a group of closely related cancers, each impacting the body and responding to treatments differently. The white blood cells grow abnormally and can form tumors throughout the body.

Fonda has not shared the subtype of NHL she's been diagnosed with, (the World Health Organization says there are at least 86 different types) but the actress, who says her chemotherapy treatments will last six months, calls her form "very treatable" and says, "80 percent of people survive." "I feel lucky," she wrote.

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According to the American Cancer Society, the overall 5-year relative survival rate for people with NHL is 73%, meaning that people with NHL are, on average, about 73% as likely as people who don't have that cancer to live for at least 5 years after being diagnosed. But survival rates can vary widely for different types and stages of lymphoma.

Due to her age, Fonda was at a higher risk for lymphoma (risk for all cancers increases for anyone over the age of 60), but the actress has long been an icon for a healthy lifestyle. But, she admits, "the cancer, along with my age — almost 85 — definitely teaches the importance of adapting to new realities."

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According to the LRF, common signs and symptoms of NHL can include swelling of the lymph nodes (which is often, but not always, painless), fever, night sweats, unexplained weight loss, and lack of energy. These symptoms alone don't predict NHL, but anyone whose symptoms last more than several weeks should see a doctor.

The Grace and Frankie star shared the news of her diagnosis on a Fire Drill Friday — a weekly protest Fonda leads in partnership with Greenpeace to push for climate action and an end to fossil fuels. The actress vowed that she "will not let any of this interfere with my climate activism."