B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma is a heterogeneous group of lymphoproliferative malignancies with different clinical behaviors and treatments. It is important to differentiate individual B-cell lymphoma to apply the best treatment and management. Morphology and immunohistochemistry are the primary tools used for diagnosing lymphoma. There is a characteristic pattern of expression with immunohistochemical antibodies in most well-defined B-cell lymphomas. Some cases of B-cell lymphoma, however, show unusual morphologic and immunophenotypic features. The new and sometimes more specific antibodies have been developed recently, which may further define those lymphomas. Only with use of the antibodies over time does their true nature and specificity become evident.
To present new antibodies for B-cell lymphoma that enhance the probability for diagnosis or can act as alternate markers in unusual cases, in which a B-cell lymphoma does not present with characteristic immunohistochemical staining, and to present prognostic markers that allow for better management of patients with specific B-cell lymphomas.
Data were obtained from literature review and figures from slides in personal practice.
The immunohistochemical antibodies presented in this article increase our ability to understand, diagnosis, and manage patients with B-cell lymphoma.