Lymphoma research

Lymphoma is a broad term that describes several cancers that begin in the cells of the lymphatic system. These immune cells called lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell. They originate from lymphoblasts (blood stem cell of the lymphoid lineage) which, after successive stages of maturation, develop into two types of lymphocytes: B lymphocytes (B cells) and T lymphocytes (T cells).

Depending on the maturational stage at which the cell becomes cancerous, one of the different types of lymphoproliferative syndromes will appear. These syndromes are a group of malignant blood tumors characterized by uncontrolled proliferation of mature lymphocytes. Their great variety and biological heterogeneity give rise to several types of lymphomas.

The main lymphomas are Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Hodgkin's lymphoma is often cured. The prognosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma depends on the specific type of the disease. 

Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma accounts for 40% of all blood cancers. There are more than 20 subtypes depending on their clinical, histopathological (cellular and tissue damage) and genetic characteristics.

At Cima we investigate the most prevalent ones: diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma and Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia.