[Molecular biology of malignant lymphomas for non-specialists].
Lymphomas comprise a variety of entities with remarkable clinical heterogeneity. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the pathogenesis of major mature B-cell lymphoma subtypes for clinicians working outside the field of hemato-oncology. The understanding of the pathogenesis of lymphomas is linked to the knowledge on normal B-cell differentiation. The clinical diversity is manifested in the different mechanisms involved in lymphomagenesis that include characteristic chromosomal translocations deregulating proto-oncogenes, and inactivation of tumor suppressor genes through deletions and mutations. Gene-expression profiling has dissected certain lymphomas into morphologically indistinguishable, but clinically important subgroups and uncovered pathways suitable for specific therapeutic interventions.
Novak
Urban
U
Klinik und Poliklinik für Medizinische Onkologie, Inselspital, Bern. urban.novak@insel.ch
D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002872:Chromosome Deletion; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D006801:Humans; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics; D014178:Translocation, Genetic