Malignant Lymphomas Of The Nervous System

More than 150 years have passed since involvement of the nervous system in leukemia was first reported by BURNS, while the possibility of the primary brain tumor derived from the lymphoreticular tissue was recognized much later. BAILEY in 1929 described such neoplasms under the term perithelial sarcoma. Later these tumors of the nervous system have been variously designated as "Perivascular of perithelial sarcomas, reticulum cell sarcomas or microgliomas", as controversy has evolved and still exists on the definition of this group of neoplasms and on the nature of their cells of origin. Much of the unfortunate confusion concerning the neoplastic lesions attributed to "microglia" and other derivations of the RE system arose because their close relationship to extra neural cells has been ignored. On the other hand, communication in the field of malignant lymphomas has become increasingly difficult because of the termino logic maze and conceptual diversities of traditional morphological classifica tions that have limited valid comparisons. Although at present we are still far from a precise recognition of the basic features of lymphoproliferative processes and from a fairly general agreement on the terminology of non-Hodgkin lymphomas, there is encouraging evidence recently of some enlightment on the nature of tumor cells that provides the basis for a reasonable and generally acceptable lymphoma classification.

This is the second edition of a book called "Lymphoma of the Nervous System," which was published by Butterworth-Heinemann (B-H) in 2004. Lymphoma and Leukemia of the Nervous System is a comprehensive review of this challenging group of diseases and should be useful for the practicing neurologist, hematologist, oncologist and for any practitioner involved in the management of these patients.

Knowledge about the etiology and diagnosis as well as treatment concepts of neu- oncologic diseases is rapidly growing. This turnover of knowledge makes it dif? cult for the physician engaged in the treatment to keep up to date with current therapies. This book sets out to close the gap and pursues several innovative concepts. As a comprehensive text on neuro-oncology, its chapters are interconnected, but at the same time some chapters or subdivisions are so thoroughly assembled that the whole volume gives the impression of several books combined into one. Neuropathology is treated in an extensive and clearly structured section. The int- ested reader ? nds for each tumor entity the latest well-referenced consensus rega- ing histologic and molecular pathology. Through this “book-in-the-book” concept, information on neuropathology is readily at hand in a concise form and without ov- loading the single chapters. Pediatric neuro-oncology differs in many entities from tumors in adult patients; also, certain tumors of the CNS are typically or mainly found only in the child. Therefore, pediatric neuro-oncology was granted its own, book-like section. Tumor entities that are treated differently in children and adults are included both in the pediatric neuro-oncology section and in the general section. Entities that typically occur only in the child and adolescent are found in the pediatric section in order to avoid redundancies.

This one-of-a-kind resource provides practical guidance on the recognition and treatment of lymphoma of the nervous system, including primary central nervous system lymphoma and neurological complications of systemic lymphoma. Leading experts in the field comprehensively cover the epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, neuroimaging, and treatment for the full range of disorders.

This volume is intended to present an eclectic selection of informative reviews on aspects of the malignant lymphomas, including Hodgkin's disease. The choice of suitable review topics in this field is made hazardous by several facts. First, the growth of insight into basic mechanisms of lymphomagenesis is explosive, as is the expansion of our understanding of the need for precise morphologic classification of these diseases. Second, new therapeutic agents, cytotoxic and biologic, as well as new drug delivery strategies, are appearing with remarkable frequency. Finally, old "standard" approaches, such as the staging laparotomy for Hodgkin's disease, are being reconsidered and deserve attention in an up-to-date collection of papers. The 10 reviews presented here fall generally into three categories. First, the optimal diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to Hodgkin's disease are considered by Mark Leibenhaut, who reviews the status of the diagnostic staging laparotomy, and by Philip Bierman, who discusses his thoughts on the timing of high-dose treatment with bone marrow transplantation for this disease. There follow four reviews of current management of specific histologic subtypes of malignant lymphoma. First, Velasquez reviews prognostic factors in both intermediate and high grade lymphomas. Miller and Dahlberg review and update the Southwest Oncology Group experience in developing curative cytotoxic combination therapies for diffuse large-cell lymphomas. Lastly, optimal therapy for two kinds of high grade lymphoma are presented. Butler and Hainsworth describe the Vanderbilt experience with diffuse small noncleaved cell lymphoma and Picozzi reviews lymphoblastic lymphoma.

This updated edition remains the essential text for pathologists seeking to make accurate diagnoses from the vast number of differentials.