WHO-classification of malignant lymphomas

Abstract

Because of the multiple developmental stages of lymphocytes and the complexity of the immune system,the corresponding neoplasms, the malignant lymphomas, represent a complex group of diseases. The clinical grouping of the KIEL-classification, distinguishing high grade from low grade lymphomas, has been abandoned in the WHO-classification as it is partly misleading. Especially,mantle cell lymphoma which, according to its morphology, represents a low grade lymphoma, is characterized by an extremely aggressive clinical course. The therapy of malignant non-Hodgkin lymphomas has become more and more diverse. The great advances in survival and quality of life of patients with malignant lymphomas have been reached in multiple clinical studies to optimize therapy and simultaneously set up standards of quality for the diagnosis and therapy of malignant lymphoma (see http://www.lymphome.de). Especially in the group of so-called low grade lymphomas according to the KIEL-classification, clinical studies in Germany follow different therapy concepts for each of the diseases. Therefore,patients should be treated within such a study.