Folicular Lymphoma

Follicular lymphoma is a B-cell malignancy that belongs to the non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma category; these tumors are named after their circular or nodular growth patterns typically seen in lymph nodes.^1,2

Patients with follicular lymphoma normally present with superficial lymph nodes of small to medium size that may stay unnoticed or neglected by the patient for a prolonged time.3 Follicular lymphomas are typically slow-growing tumors and may not require treatment at the time of diagnosis; instead, treatment may be initiated once the follicular lymphoma causes severe clinical problems.2 Although the disease is usually characterized by a typically indolent clinical course, the majority of patients tend to relapse after their treatment.²

• Most follicular lymphoma patients display a genomic abnormality involving chromosomes 14 and 18 that results in an inappropriate activation of an oncogene called Bcl-2²
• Follicular lymphoma may grow in several lymph node sites and is known to involve bone marrow in about 50% to 60% of cases³
• In about one-third of cases, follicular lymphoma may turn into an aggressive form of disease called diffuse large B-cell lymphoma that is treated as the aggressive disease²
• Follicular lymphoma is generally associated with a good prognosis; about 70% of patients survive 5 years or more²

Follicular Lymphoma Demographic Statistics

• Approximately 1 out of 5 of non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas belong to the follicular lymphoma category.
•  The average age for people afflicted with this lymphoma is about 60 years²

Follicular Lymphoma Epidemiology

Physicians have developed the Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index (FLIPI) that uses 5 prognostic factors to classify patients as low-risk, intermediate risk, and high-risk²

The low-risk patient group has a 5-year survival rate of 91%, followed by the intermediate risk group with a survival rate of 78%²

The high-risk patient group has the least favorable survival rate of 53%²