Older classification systems

Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Cyberfamily

Earlier classification systems

Many classification systems have come and gone over the years. Here is a brief history of them.

Rappaport and Lukes Collins
This classification was developed before lymphoid cells were divided into B-cells and T-cells. It was developed in 1966 with the Lukes Collins modifications in 1974

Well-differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma

small lymphocytic lymphoma

Poorly differentiated lymphocytic lymphoma

96633 (NOS), 96643 (cellular phase) also: 96653 (HD NS, lymphocyte predominance) 96663 (HD NS mixed cellularity), 96673 (HD NS, lymphocytic depletion)

follicular center cell lymphoma with a large component of small-cleaved cells.

Histiocytic lymphoma

large cell lymphoma

Kiel Classification
This was developed in 1974, the first to recognize B and T cell subtypes.

B	T
Low grade	Low grade
*Lymphocytic -chronic lymphocytic and prolymphocytic leukemia -hairy-cell leukemia	Lymphocytic -chronic lymphocytic and prolymphocytic leukemia
-	Small, cerebriform cell -mycosis fungoides, Sézary's syndrome
Lymphoplasmacytic/cytoid (LP immunocytoma)	Lymphoepithelioid (Lennert's lymphoma)
Plasmacytic	Angioimmunoblastic (AILD, LgX)
*Centroblastic/centrocytic - follicular ± diffuse - diffuse	T zone
*Centrocytic	Pleomorphicm, small cell (HTLV-1
High grade	High grade
Centroblastic	Pleomorphic, medium and large cell (HTLV-1 ±)
*Immunoblastic	Immunoblastic (HTLV-1 ±)
*Large cell anaplastic (Ki-1+)	Large cell anaplastic (Ki-1+)
Burkitt's lymphoma	-
*Lymphoblastic	Lymphoblastic
Rare types	Rare types

Working Formulation
This was developed by the National Cancer Institute in 1982 as a method of translating among the recognized classification systems for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (Rappaport, Dorfman, Lukes and Collins, Kiel, and the British Lymphoma system). The major groups are identified by letters, A - J, and grouped according to prognosis:

most favorable	Low Grade	A, B, C
	Intermediate Grade	D, E, F, G
least favorable	High Grade	H, I, J

Low Grade	Intermediate Grade	High Grade
Small lymphocytic	Follicular large cell	Large cell immunoblastic
Follicular small-cleaved cell	Diffuse small cleaved cell	Lymphoblastic
Follicular mixed small-cleaved and large cell	Diffuse mixed small and large cell	Small non-cleaved cell (Burkitt and non-Burkitt type)
	Diffuse large cell

Cell types categorized as unclassified by the Working Formulation include the non-specific terms malignant lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, diffuse malignant lymphoma, nodular or follicular malignant lymphoma, and cutaneous lymphoma.

Differences in histology refer to differences in the first 3 digits of the ICD-O morphology code.

A simultaneous diagnosis of malignant lymphocytic lymphoma (small cell type) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is coded to CLL

Back to the current REAL/WHO classification system

Classification systems source information