Follicular Lymphoma and Mantle Cell Lymphoma

This chapter covers the commonly-encountered follicular lymphoma and the more aggressive but rare mantle cell lymphoma. These two B-cell lymphomas are predominantly lymph node-based but show characteristic patterns of spread to the bone marrow and gastrointestinal tract. Both lymphomas progress through recognizable histologic stages that are characterized by increasing number of large tumor cells and accumulation of cell cycle genetic defects. Follicular lymphoma however shows a more clear requirement for stromal-derived cytokine signals and B-cell receptor pathway dysregulation for full transformation.