The biologic interconnections between aging and lymphoma

Abstract

Lymphoma and aging interplay may be firstly considered from an epidemiologic point of view, as the incidence of lymphoma - and notably diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) - increases with age. In addition, its histopathogenic subcategories develop an age-dependent repartition - with less frequent germinal center-derived DLBCL and more activated B cell ones. Finally, some specific entities have been specifically described in an aged population, like EBV DLBCL, leading to specific biologic explanatory hypotheses. This review aims at summarizing current data (i) on the impact of age on the mutation burden leading to lymphomagenesis, (ii) on defects in cancer surveillance associated with age, (iii) on the impact of clonal restriction in the hematopoietic system, (iv) on the specific lymphoma entities associated with age and particularly EBV DLBCL of the elderly, and finally (v) on the treatment perspectives based on this interplay.