Adult Lymphomas

Lymphomas comprise a distinct heterogeneous group of hematological neoplasms arising from the lymphoid cells. Traditionally divided into non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin lymphomas, the diagnosis, classification and management of these malignancies are facilitated by the advances in the fields of molecular biology, imaging modalities, supportive care and therapeutics. The advent of chemoimmunotherapy regimens incorporating rituximab, better risk stratification and response assessment with PET-CT have all led to significant improvement in the outcomes of patients with various non-Hodgkin lymphomas. While in Hodgkin lymphoma, multiagent dose-dense chemotherapy with PET-based response-adapted approach has become the standard of care. With improving cure rates and long-term survival of these patients, the concern for delayed toxicities due to chemotherapy becomes the most important aspect of patient care. Despite the success of frontline treatment, a proportion of patients relapse or are refractory to therapy. The options of hematopoietic stem cell transplant, cellular and immunotherapy are established in the relapsed/refractory settings.