Genesis and consequences of genetic lesions in lymphoid neoplasms

Some general molecular features are shared by all lymphoid neoplasms: (1) molecular lesions predominantly affect genes regulating lymphoid maturation, cell cycle progression, and cell survival; (2) within a given clinico-pathological category, different genetic lesions in different patients may converge upon activation or disruption of the same molecular pathway; (3) many, though not all, genetic lesions are represented by recurrent and balanced chromosomal translocations; (4) the degree of generalized genomic instability is markedly lower than observed in solid cancers; and (5) a single genetic alteration is rarely, if ever, capable of driving the full development of a lymphoid neoplasm.