A Diagnostic Approach in Large B-Cell Lymphomas According to the Fifth World Health Organization and International Consensus Classifications and a Practical Algorithm in Routine Practice

Abstract

In this article, we provide a review of large B-cell lymphomas (LBCLs), comparing the recently published fifth edition of the WHO classification and the International Consensus Classification (ICC) on hematolymphoid tumors. We focus on updates in the classification of LBCL, an heterogeneous group of malignancies with varying clinical behaviors and different pathological and molecular features, providing a comparison between the two classifications. Besides the well-recognized diagnostic role of clinical, morphological and immunohistochemical data, both classifications recognize the ever-growing impact of molecular data in the diagnostic work-up of some entities. The main aim is to offer a guide for clinicians and pathologists on how the new classifications can be applied to LBCL diagnosis in routine practice. In the first part of the paper, we review the following categories: LBLs transformed from indolent B-cell lymphomas, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (DLBCL, NOS), double-hit/triple-hit lymphomas (DH/TH), high-grade large B-cell lymphoma, not otherwise specified (HGBCL, NOS), LBCL with IRF4 rearrangement, Burkitt lymphoma (BL) and HGBCL/LBCL with 11q aberration, focusing on the differences between the two classifications. In the second part of the paper, we provide a practical diagnostic algorithm when facing LBCLs in routine daily practice.

Keywords: 11q aberrations; BCL2 rearrangement; BCL6 rearrangement; Burkitt lymphoma; IRF4 rearrangement; MYC rearrangement; diffuse large-B-cell lymphoma; high-grade B-cell lymphoma; large B-cell lymphoma; not otherwise specified.