There are many histological subtypes of lymphoma, and the pathological diagnosis of lymphoma is difficult and challenging. Accurate diagnosis and typing are of great significance to the precise treatment of lymphoma patients and to improve the curative rate. In rare cases, two different histological types of lymphoma can occur simultaneously at the same anatomical site, which is called composite lymphoma. At present, little is known about the pathogenesis and clinicopathological features of composite lymphoma.

 

In June, 2022, Yuhua Huang MD.PhD, from the Dept. of Pathology, at Sun Yat-sen University cancer center, reported 22 cases of extremely rare composite lymphoma (composite classical Hodgkin lymphoma and follicular lymphoma, CHLFL) in the American Journal of Surgical Pathology - a top journal in the field of clinical pathology. The clinicopathological features of this tumor were systemically analyzed. To date, it is the largest report on this rare cancer. Interestingly, all three cases investigated by cytogenetic methods for a clonal relationship between the CHL and FL components were clonally related, suggesting that the CHL and FL components may share a common progenitor B-cell, which is likely a mutated germinal center B-cell. This finding provides a new idea for pathogenic study of this rare tumor.

Acknowledgement: this study was guided and supported by Ji Yuan, MD, PhD, the corresponding author of the article, from the Mayo Clinic in the United States. For the original publication, click here.