The non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas occur commonly. There are more than 40,000 new cases of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma each year in the United States. Recently, it has become clear that there is an increasing incidence of the non-Hodgkin’s…

As noted previously, Hodgkin’s disease is a group of disorders with a characteristic clinical course. The early studies by Henry Kaplan defined the typical pattern of spread of Hodgkin’s disease. As opposed to the non-Hodgkin’s…

The malignant lymphomas are a group of lymphoproliferative disorders that are usually divided into Hodgkin’s disease and the non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. These two disease entities have markedly different clinical characteristics. For instance, Hodgkin’s lymphomas commonly occur…

Multiple myeloma is a common malignancy with about 12,000 cases each year in the United States and 9000 deaths. The incidence of the disease increases dramatically with advancing age. The incidence is approximately 2 per…

This disorder also involves a proliferation of neoplastic B cells, which produce an M protein of the IgM class. The disease is similar to other lymphocytic malignancies, with a median age of approximately 63 years.…

Amyloidosis is a group of disorders of varying etiology. The consistent pathologic event is the deposition of a characteristic insoluble protein in tissues and structures causing organ impairment. The most susceptible organs are the kidney, gastrointestinal…

Monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance (MGUS) is a relatively common condition that increases in older patients. The definition of monoclonal gammopathy of uncertain significance is somewhat problematic. In essence, it represents the…

Hairy cell leukemia is another chronic lymphoproliferative disorder that is now known to be a clinical entity distinct from CLL. Similar to CLL, it is a proliferation of neoplastic B lymphocytes. Hairy cell leukemia…

The lymphoproliferative disorders are malignant transformations of lymphocytes. The clinical syndromes corresponding to each diagnostic category result from the characteristic behavior of the transformed cell. The end stage of B-lymphocyte development is the plasma…

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common form of leukemia in the United States. This prevalence is due to two factors. First, the incidence of CLL rises with advancing age with the median…

MMMF is an unusual clonal disorder sometimes also known as idiopathic myelofibrosis. Gradual fibrosis of the marrow space with extramedullary hematopoiesis is the typical course. Splenomegaly is common. An examination of the…

Essential thrombocythemia (ET) is a myeloproliferative disorder defined as a persistent isolated platelet count above 600,000/mL. It is frequently accompanied by a marked increase in megakaryocytes in the bone marrow, and on physical examination splenomegaly…

Polycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative disorder with excessive proliferation of red cells, megakaryocytes, and myelocytes. It is usually an insidious disease with gradual onset and can be associated with prolonged survival if the cytosis…

CML is a clonal stem cell disorder, characterized by increased proliferative capacity in the myeloid lineage, that is almost universally associated with a typical chromosomal translocation known as the Philadelphia chromosome. This is an…

The myeloproliferative disorders are a group of diseases characterized by excessive proliferation of the myeloid elements secondary to a defect in the hematopoietic stem cell. As discussed earlier, the myeloid elements consist of erythrocytes, platelets,…

Acute leukemia, now more accurately referred to as acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL), is the more common form of leukemia in adults. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is predominantly a disease of children that accounts for approximately 20%…

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a collection of disorders that predominately affect older patients with the median age of 63 at diagnosis. MDS is a heterogenous group of disorders characterized by abnormal growth of the myeloid…