ABSTRACT
Introduction 829 Incidence of lymphoid neoplasms in the developing world 829 Geographic variation in lymphoma subsets 830 B cell neoplasms 831 Precursor B cell neoplasms 831 Mature B cell neoplasms 831 T/natural killer cell neoplasms 832 Practice of lymphoma diagnostics in the developing world 833 Peripheral blood and bone marrow based 834
lymphoproliferative disorders Benign mimics of lymphomas that cause particular concern 834
in the developing world Underdiagnosis of lymphoma in the developing world 835
Double pathologies 836 Role of fine needle aspiration in the diagnosis 836
of lymphoid lesions Gaps in improvements achieved in management strategies 836
and diagnostic facilities Some suggestions for developing a quality lymphoma 836
service in the developing world Some practical suggestions for planning 837
immunohistochemistry in the developing world Need for studying lymphomas from the developing world 838
with precision Key points 838 References 838
In recent years, there has been great progress in the understanding, classification and management of lymphoid neoplasms. In 1994, the International Lymphoma Study Group published a new classification scheme named the Revised European-American Lymphoma (REAL) classification, and this was followed by the World Health Organization (WHO) classification in 2001.1,2 The new systems have incorporated immunophenotyping/immunohistochemistry, cytogenetics and molecular genetics into the classification, which is an improvement over previous classifications that only used morphology and clinical parameters and sometimes immunophenotypic features. However, this technology-intense approach to classification, although providing a more objective and precise lymphoma diagnosis, may have a deleterious impact on clinical practice, particularly in countries with limited sources, because of its need of additional facilities, knowledge and skills.
