Walsh & Hoyt: Lymphomas

These tumors probably represent clonal expansions of cells transformed at various stages in the differentiation of T- or B-lymphocytes. The lymphomas thus share a common cytogenealogy with the lymphocytic leukemias and with plasma cell dyscrasias. They also share a number of prominent clinical features, including lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and a variety of hematologic and immunologic abnormalities. The classification of the lymphomas, like that of the leukemias, is constantly changing as more is learned about their immunologic characteristics; however, the standard general classification recognizes two main groups: Hodgkins disease and the non-Hodgkins lymphomas. The latter is a more heterogenous grouping that encompasses more than ten disorders, including the nodular lymphocytic lymphomas and more aggressive neoplasms such as diffuse large-cell lymphoma (previously called reticulum cell sarcoma or diffuse histiocytic lymphoma) and Burkitts lymphoma. In this section, we discuss the neuro-ophthalmologic manifestations of both groups of lymphomas.