Histopathology of mantle cell lymphoma

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a relatively rare lymphoma, accounting for less than 10% only of all lymphomas. Its morphology is quite homogeneous, but it varies strikingly in about 10% of the cases, making the diagnosis of MCL challenging for histopathologists. The definition of the disease was greatly influenced by the discovery of the translocation t(11;14)(q13,q32), which juxtaposes the cyclin D1 and the immunoglobulin heavy chain genes and is present in the vast majority of MCL cases. The introduction of monoclonal antibodies for the detection of cyclin D1 expression into the diagnostic procedure substantially improved the reproducibility and reliability of the pathological diagnosis. However, new challenges for histopathologists have arisen over the last years, among which are the detection of cyclin D1-negative MCL cases and clinically relevant prognostic subgroups.