LINFOMA HODGKIN Y LINFOMA NO HODGKIN - HEMATOLOGÍA - VILLAMEDIC

Lymphomas are a group of neoplastic diseases of lymphocytes. They differ from leukemias in that the oncogenic process occurs in the extramedullary stages of lymphocyte development. The origin of the different lymphomas depends on the lineage and the stage at which the lymphocyte begins its malignant transformation process. Lymphocytes are unique cells in the body because they must alter their genetic structure in order to form specific antigen receptors, T or B. B lymphocytes, in the maturation phase of development that occurs in the germinal center of the lymph nodes and thymus, exhibit, upon contact with an antigen, a phenomenon known as somatic hypermutation. This consists of exacerbated mutagenesis in the variable region of the immunoglobulin gene, the objective of which is to achieve antigen specificity. In a later phase of its maturation process, in order to synthesize IgM, the B lymphocyte needs to undergo new rearrangements in the immunoglobulin gene, known as class-switch recombination. All of these processes, necessary for an adequate adaptive immune response, carry a higher risk of misplaced mutations, some of which are potentially oncogenic. Both Hodgkin's and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are lymphomas, a type of cancer that begins in a subset of white blood cells called lymphocytes. Lymphocytes are a fundamental part of the immune system, protecting you from germs.