There are many different types of B-cell lymphomas.
Two of the most common B-cell lymphomas are diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and follicular lymphoma.
Both may cause enlargement of one or more lymph nodes, in addition to other signs and symptoms.
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People learn which of the many types of B-cell lymphoma they have during their diagnosis and evaluation.
This article will discuss the main types of B-cell lymphoma, how they are diagnosed, and targeted treatments.
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Main Types
The two major categories of lymphoma are Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
B-cells and their lineage are important in both categories of lymphoma.
In fact, most non-Hodgkin lymphomas (about 85%) are B-cell lymphomas.
SLL is much less common than CLL.
Rare Types
What Does the jot down Tell You?
Some B-cell lymphomas can be cured, while others as yet have no cure.
Sometimes the subsets or subcategories of B-cell lymphoma can be more telling than the main classification.
Another example of the same B-cell lymphoma key in behaving differently by individual occurs with DLBCL.
Some people with DLBCL have an excellent response to intensive therapy, such that they are cured.
Unfortunately, this is not the case for everyone.
NHL is typically divided by types intoindolentoraggressivemalignancies; this applies specifically to many B-cell lymphomas, as well.
Indolent lymphomas typically grow more slowly, while aggressive lymphomas tend to grow more quickly.
Two examples of indolent B-cell lymphomas are follicular lymphoma and small lymphocytic lymphoma.
Many people with follicular lymphoma can live long lives.
Unfortunately, in a subset of people with follicular lymphoma, the disease has a worse prognosis.
Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (The Lymphoma Version of CLL)
Small lymphocytic lymphoma is another indolent B-cell lymphoma.
Often, more than one group of lymph nodes is affected in SLL.
Despite being an aggressive lymphoma, DLBCL is considered potentially curable.
The treatment of choice is usually chemoimmunotherapy.
Known as R-CHOP, this regimen is typically given in cycles three weeks apart, with varying schedules.
Patients with lower stages and lower IPI scores tend to have better survival rates.
Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is another lymphoma that is typically aggressive.
It affects more men than women and tends to be diagnosed in individuals older than 60 years.
Quite the opposite is true of the blastoid variant of MCL, a very aggressive form of the disease.
ASCT or even allogeneic stem cell transplant may be considered following the initial round of therapy to induce remission.
How key in Is Determined
A variety of tools help determine the lymphoma key in.
These cancers tend to mimic the stages of normal B-cells as they develop and mature.
The extent to which they mimic these stages is a big part of the lymphoma naming and classification system.
Rituximab was the first CD20 antibody to become widely used.
This receptor is sort of like an immune system taster of antigens.
The receptor has both the tasting component and a signaling component.
Thus, newer treatment strategies have emerged in recent years to target and block this signaling.
The Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors ibrutinib and acalabrutinib work by blocking the Bruton tyrosine kinase enzyme.
Ibrutinib has revolutionized the treatment of B-cell malignancies such as CLL/SLL and Waldenstrom Macroglobulinemia.
Acalabrutinib also blocks BTK and has been approved for previously treated MCL, as well as CLL/SLL.
More than 40 percent of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma patients were categorized as having relatively high BCL-2 expression.
Venetoclax helps restore the process of programmed cell death by binding directly to the BCL-2 protein.
Like other targeted therapies, venetoclax may not be the right option for all patients with the applicable malignancies.
There is truly a world of diversity across the different types of B-cell lymphoma.
Food and Drug Administration.FDA grants accelerated approval to mosunetuzumab-axgb for relapsed or refractory follicular lymphoma.
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Diagnostic Algorithm of common mature B-cell lymphomas by immunohistochemistry.Arch Pathol Lab Med.2017;141(9):1236-1246. doi:10.5858/arpa.2016-0521-RA
