LYMPHOBLASTIC LYMPHOMA

Course overview

ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA (ALL)/LYMPHOBLASTIC LYMPHOMA (LBL) IS A CLONAL HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL DISORDER OF B OR T CELL ORIGIN. THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO) 2017 CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM CATEGORIZES THESE DISEASE ENTITIES UNDER PRECURSOR LYMPHOID NEOPLASM. THE WHO 2017 CLASSIFICATION OF PRECURSOR LYMPHOID NEOPLASM INCLUDES 4 DISTINCT ENTITIES: B-ALL/LBL NOT OTHERWISE SPECIFIED (NOS); B-ALL/LBL WITH RECURRENT GENETIC ABNORMALITIES; T-ALL/LBL; AND NK-ALL/LBL. LYMPHOBLASTS ARE THE CHARACTERISTIC CELLS OF THIS DISEASE ENTITY. THE LYMPHOBLASTS ARE USUALLY SMALL TO MEDIUM-SIZED WITH SCANT CYTOPLASM, MODERATELY CONDENSED TO DISPERSED CHROMATIN AND INCONSPICUOUS NUCLEOLI. THE LYMPHOBLASTS TRADITIONALLY INVOLVE THE BONE MARROW (BM) AND/OR BLOOD IN ALL AND INVOLVE THE LYMPH NODES IN LBL. THE DIAGNOSIS IS OF ALL IS RENDERED WHEN THE BLAST COUNT EXCEEDS 20%. THIS ACTIVITY HIGHLIGHTS THE ROLE OF THE INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAM IN CARING FOR PATIENTS WITH LYMPHOBLASTIC LYMPHOMA.