Hodgkin and non-hodgkin lymphoma: from a molecular, diagnostic and therapeutic perspective

Abstract

Lymphomas are a heterogeneous set of malignancies, which have more than 100 entities that are derived from precur-sor or mature cells of the B, T, and NK lymphocytic lineages. Worldwide, these neoplasms affect between 3 to 6 people per 100,000 inhabitants, representing the fifth most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death. Traditionally they have been classified into two large groups, Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). Moreover, due to technological advances in areas such as immunol-ogy and genetics, different mechanisms have been identified through which lymphocytic neoplastic cells manage to evade antitumor surveillance, alter immunological checkpoints and condition their tumor microenvironment, thus guaranteeing its perpetuation. The initial diagnosis of lymphoma, based on clinical findings and identification of risk factors, must be confirmed by performing a lymph node biopsy. Chemo-radio-therapy is one of the first-line therapeutic strategies, although in recent years different biological therapies such as immu-notherapy have been developed, which have proven to be effective in controlling the disease. Because the pathogenic mechanisms of lymphomagenesis have important implications for diagnosis and clinical treatment, this review synthe-sizes current information on the pathophysiological processes underlying these neoplasms, summarizes the basic no-tions about their diagnostic approach, and presents evidence on the efficacy and safety of currently used first and second line treatments. © 2021, Venezuelan Society of Pharmacology and Clinical and Therapeutic Pharmacology.