Objective To detect the expression of B7 family molecules and illuminate their significance in non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL). Methods Peripheral blood monocyte cells (PBMCs) were separated by density gradient centrifugation from peripheral blood samples of healthy volunteers. Real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) was used to determine the mRNA expression levels of PD-L1 and PD-L2 in the cell lines of B cell lymphoma, T cell lymphoma and NK/T cell lymphoma (NKTL). Results PD-L1 and PD-L2 were expressed in NHL cell lines at different mRNA levels. Their expression was significantly higher in T cell lymphoma and NKTL cell lines than in normal PBMCs (P＜0.05). However, there was no significant difference in their expression between B cell lymphoma cell lines and PBMCs (P＞0.05). Conclusion B7 family molecules such as PD-L1 and PD-L2 may be involved in the tumor immune escape in NKTL and T cell lymphoma, and they might be novel targets for NHL immunotherapy.