Chapter 17: Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma Flashcards
What is the primary sign of Non-hodgkin’s lymphoma?
superficial, asymmetric, painless lymphadenopathy.
What are the constitutional symptoms of NHL?
(1) Fever
(2) night sweats
(3) weight loss
They are commonly associated with disseminated disease.
What are often the presenting features of NHL?
(1) Anemia
(2) Neutropenia (leading to infections)
(3) Thrombocytopenia (leads to bleeding/purpura)
What are some gross pathological signs of NHL?
(1) lymphadenopathy
(2) Hepatosplenomegaly
(3) Skin involvement (mycoses fungoides, and Sezary syndrome)
Generally speaking how are NHLs identified?
Lymph node biopsy with morphological, immunophenotypic, and genetic investigation.
How does light chain clonality impact the diagnosis of NHL?
Polyclonal light chains are indicative of chronic inflammation. Monoclonal light chains are indicative of malignancy.
What are the hematological findings associated with NHL?
(1) Normochromic, Normocytic anemia
(2) Autoimmune hemolytic anemia
(3) Neutropenia (advanced disease)
(4) Thrombocytopenia
What are the biochemical findings associated with NHL?
(1) increased LDH
(2) Increased uric acid.
(3) paraprotein on Ig electrophoresis.
What translocation is associated with Burkitt’s lymphoma?
t(8; 14) Burkitt’s lymphoma
What translocation is associated with follicular lymphoma?
t(14; 18)
What translocation is associated with Mantle cell lymphoma?
t(11; 14)
What translocation is associated with anaplastic large cell lymphoma?
t(2; 5)
What methods are used to stage NHLs?
(1) imaging (CT, XR, MRI, PET)
(2) Biopsy, BM aspiration, Trephine biopsy.
What are the low grade NHLs?
(1) Follicular lymphoma
(2) Lymphocytic lymphomas
(3) Lymphoplasmacytoid lymphomas
(4) Mantle cell lymphoma
(5) Marginal zone lymphoma
What is the most common form of NHL?
Follicular lymphoma
What is the pathogenesis of follicular lymphoma?
B cells undergo malignant transformation by the t(14; 18) translocation, which causes the constitutive activation of the Bcl-2 gene.
What is the general age range for follicular lymphoma?
Middle aged to elderly
What is the median survival from diagnosis for follicular lymphoma?
10 years
What is the presentation of follicular lymphoma?
Painless lymphadenopathy with most patients presenting in stage III or IV.
What is the most effective chemotherapy against follicular lymphoma?
CVP (chlorambucil/cyclophosphamide, vincristine, and prednisolone.) achieves a response in up to 90% of patients.
If chemotherapy is not effective enough what alternative therapies can be considered for follicular lymphoma?
(1) Rituximab
(2) Autologous stem cell transplant
(3) Allogenic stem cell transplant ( in younger patients)