Waldenstrom's macrogloblinemia/ lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma

Abstract

Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (WM) is a distinct clinicopathological entity resulting from the accumulation, predominantly in the bone marrow, of clonally related lymphocytes, lymphoplasmacytic cells, and plasma cells that secrete a monoclonal IgM protein (Figure 9.1) (1). This condition is considered to correspond to the lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) as defined by the Revised European American Lymphoma (REAL) and World Health Organization (WHO) classification systems (2, 3). Most cases of LPL are WM, with less than 5% of cases made up of IgA, IgG, and nonsecreting LPL. © 2008 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.