Lymphoma

Changed by Ahmed Abdrabou, 6 Apr 2015

Updates to Article Attributes

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Lymphoma is a malignancy arising from lymphocytes or lymphoblasts. Lymphoma can be restricted to the lymphatic system or can arise as extranodal disease. This, along with variable aggressiveness results in a diverse imaging appearance. 

Epidemiology

Lymphoma accounts for ~4% of all cancers 4. They are more common in developed countries. 

In children, lymphoma accounts for 10-15% of all cancers, being the third most common form of malignancy 5.

Clinical presentation

Lymphoma can present as nodal or extra-nodal disease. Hodgkins lymphoma and low-grade NHL classically present as nodal disease, whereas high-grade NHL can present with complications from mass effect such as superior vena cava obstruction, cauda equina syndrome, etc. Extra-nodal disease can affect any organ. 

Lymphoma can often present with B symptoms (fever, night sweats and weight loss). 

Pathology

Lymphomas are a malignancy that arises from mature lymphocyte. The aetiology is unknown but potential lymphomatogenic risk factors include 4:

  • viral infection, e.g. EBV, HTVL-1, HIV, HCV, HSV
  • bacterial infection, e.g. Helicobacter pylori
  • chronic immunosuppression, e.g. post-transplantation
  • prior chemotherapy (especially alkalising agents) and drug therapy, e.g. digoxin
Classification

Lymphomas are currently classified according to the 2008 WHO classification of tumours of haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. The main division is into:

The majority (85%) of lymphomas are B-cell with the remainder (15%) being T-cell 4

Location

Additionally it is worth, especially for radiologists, dividing extranodal lymphomas according to the location:

Radiographic features

Imaging characteristics will depend on the location and subtype of lymphoma. CT is the workhorse of imaging in lymphoma and plays a crucial role in staging (see main article: lymphoma staging). US and MRI are also used, for example assessing cervical lymph nodes (US) or CNS lymphoma (MRI). 

Treatment and prognosis

Lymphoma cure rates are comparatively high (up to 90%) compared to many other malignancies. Prognosis depends not only on histological subtype and grade but also on stage, hence why imaging plays a pivotal role in treatment. Aggressive lymphomas (e.g. Burkitt lymphoma) typically have a prognosis of weeks without treatment. 

  • -<li><a title="Sinonasal lymphoma" href="/articles/sinonasal-lymphoma">sinonasal lymphoma</a></li>
  • +<li><a href="/articles/sinonasal-lymphoma">sinonasal lymphoma</a></li>
Images Changes:

Image 14 CT (C+ portal venous phase) ( create )

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