[Practical value of the histopathological diagnosis of malignant lymphomas]

The term malignant lymphoma (ML) covers several lymphoid tumoral diseases of varying aggressiveness. Nowadays, histopathology makes it possible to individualize entities corresponding to cellular types well defined by their cytology, their selective invasion of certain lymph node compartments, their immunophenotype and sometimes their cytogenetic and molecular markers. Some of these entities are not yet known to non-specialists. Mantle cell-derived malignant lymphoma, monocytoid B-cell lymphoma, low-grade MALT type malignant lymphoma, large mediastinal cell malignant lymphoma and large anaplastic cell malignant lymphoma are examples of these entities, each of them having its own clinical manifestations.