ABSTRACT
Background The low-grade B-cell lymphomas are a heterogeneous group in terms of biology, morphology and clinical behaviour. However, they share the following features: the majority of patients present with advanced disease, usually with bone-marrow infiltration, in middle or older age. Conventional therapy is worthwhile in terms of inducing responses, but remissions are rarely complete and hardly ever more than temporary. Immunophenotypic analysis shows clear differences in antigen expression, and this, together with the differences in clinical features between the subgroups, confirms that they represent distinct biological entities.
