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Pathology and Epidemiology of Cancer pp 571–590Cite as

Pathology and Molecular Pathology of Hematologic Malignancies

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Abstract

Hematologic malignancies include neoplasms that are derived from bone marrow progenitor cells as well as more mature cells of the immune system. They can also be distinguished by their primary presentation as diseases of the blood or as solid tumors involving lymph nodes and organs. These diseases account for a major cause of morbidity and mortality around the world, and their clinical presentation varies from acute leukemia which has an aggressive clinical course leading to death in a few months, to low-grade lymphoma, which can go undetected for years. It is important to note that the field is progressing rapidly, and new discoveries are being made frequently; hence, we focus on well-characterized pathways that are operant in hematologic malignancies. Much progress has been made in understanding the pathogenetic basis of these diseases, and many pioneering discoveries regarding the molecular lesions that underlie these diseases have been made in the past few decades. Moreover, the development of targeted therapies based on these discoveries promise to revolutionize how cancer is treated. In this chapter, we will review a select number of hematologic malignancies, divided between lymphoid and myeloid malignancies, and detail the clinical and, pathologic features of the diseases along with the molecular genetic bases. Important developments in targeted therapies will be discussed where applicable.

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Acknowledgment

We are grateful to Dr. Scott Rodig of the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School for review of lecture notes in preparation for this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Medical Center, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, 13-222 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Jonathan Said

  2. David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA Medical Center, 10833 Le Conte Avenue, 13-222 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Dinesh Rao

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  1. Dinesh Rao
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  2. Jonathan Said
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Correspondence to Jonathan Said .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Molecular Oncologic Pathology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Massimo Loda

  2. Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Lorelei A. Mucci

  3. Department of Genetics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Megan L. Mittelstadt

  4. King’s College London, Guy’s Hospital, London, United Kingdom

    Mieke Van Hemelrijck

  5. Department of Pathology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Maura Bríd Cotter

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Rao, D., Said, J. (2017). Pathology and Molecular Pathology of Hematologic Malignancies. In: Loda, M., Mucci, L., Mittelstadt, M., Van Hemelrijck, M., Cotter, M. (eds) Pathology and Epidemiology of Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-35153-7_30

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-35153-7_30

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