Lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system, is classified into Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's types, which are then further classified into B-cell and T-cell groups. Seaweeds that contain fucoidan, a sulfated polysaccharide similar to heparin in chemical structure, have been found to have anti-tumor activity in mice and some cell lines.

Current studies have reported that the seaweed extract had an inhibitory effect on the growth of lymphoma cell lines, while leaving the control healthy cells intact. The researchers also observed a significant pattern of activity in the genes known to be relevant to apoptosis, or cell death, in lymphoma.