Dissecting diffuse large B-cell lymphomas of the "not otherwise specified" type: the impact of molecular techniques

F1000Res. 2018 Dec 21:7:F1000 Faculty Rev-1966. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.16755.1. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

The updated edition of the Classification of Tumours of Haematopoietic and Lymphoid Tissues, published in September 2017 by the World Health Organization (WHO), presents many important changes to the document published in 2008. Most of these novelties are linked to the exceptional development of biomolecular techniques during the last 10 years. To illustrate how much new technologies have contributed to the better classification of single entities, as well as the discovery of new ones, would go beyond the objectives of this work. For this reason, we will take diffuse large B-cell lymphoma as an example of the cognitive improvement produced by high-yield technologies (such as the gene expression profile, the study of copy number variation, and the definition of the mutational spectrum). The acquisition of this knowledge not only has a speculative value but also represents the elements for effective application in daily practice. On the one hand, it would allow the development of personalised therapy programs, and on the other it would promote the transition from the bench of the researcher's laboratory to the patient's bedside.

Keywords: Diffuse Large B cell Lymphoma; Gene expression; Microenvironment; Sequencing.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • DNA Copy Number Variations
  • Humans
  • Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / classification*
  • Precision Medicine / methods*
  • Sequence Analysis, DNA
  • Transcriptome
  • Translational Research, Biomedical / methods*

Grants and funding

The authors’ work was funded by the Italian Association for Cancer Research (AIRC), Milan; grant 5x1000 n. 20198.