Abstract
This is a provisional category in the 2008 World Health Organization classification that includes aggressive lymphomas with histologic, biologic, and genetic features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and Burkitt lymphoma (BL). Affected patients are mainly adults, presenting with nodal or extranodal disease, with frequent involvement of bone marrow, peripheral blood, and the central nervous system. The majority of cases are de novo, however some cases are the result of transformed follicular lymphoma. Most cases display a diffuse growth of intermediate- or occasional large-sized cells, high proliferation rate, admixed with few small reactive lymphocytes, and no stromal fibrosis. Frequent mitoses and a starry-sky pattern are common and reminiscent of BL. However, the cell variation is more distinct than usual BL and prominent nucleoli may occur. Rare cases composed of small cells with blastoid chromatin that mimics lymphoblastic lymphoma are also included in this category. In previous classifications, some cases that seemed like BL but with more nuclear variability were classified as atypical BL. However, gene profile studies of cases diagnosed with BL and atypical BL showed that they both share similar signatures, suggesting that they represent a spectrum of the same disease process. It became evident, therefore, that the category of atypical BL was unnecessary.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Kluin PM, Harris NL, Stein H, et al. B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma. In: Swerdlow SH, Campo E, Harris NL, et al., editors. WHO classification of tumours of the haematopoietic and lymphoid tissues. Lyon: IARC Press; 2008. p. 265–6.
Bueso-Ramos CE. B-cell lymphoma, unclassifiable, with features intermediate between diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and Burkitt lymphoma. In: Medeiros LJ, editor. Diagnostic pathology. Altona: Amirsys, Inc.; 2011. p. 8-2–7.
Bueso-Ramos CE. Burkitt lymphoma. In: Medeiros LJ, editor. Lymph nodes and spleen with extranodal lymphomas. Altona: Amirsys, Inc.; 2011. p. 6-84–6, 91.
Dave SS, Fu K, Wright GW, et al. Molecular diagnosis of Burkitt’s lymphoma. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:2431–42.
Hummel M, Bentink S, Berger H, et al. A biologic definition of Burkitt’s lymphoma from transcriptional and genomic profiling. N Engl J Med. 2006;354:2419–30.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Miranda, R.N., Khoury, J.D., Medeiros, L.J. (2013). B-Cell Lymphoma, Unclassifiable, with Features Intermediate Between Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma and Burkitt Lymphoma. In: Atlas of Lymph Node Pathology. Atlas of Anatomic Pathology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7959-8_59
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7959-8_59
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-7958-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-7959-8
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)