Research progress on epigenetics of small B-cell lymphoma

Small B-cell lymphoma is the classification of B-cell chronic lymphoproliferative disorders that include chronic lymphocytic leukaemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma/Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. The clinical presentation is somewhat heterogeneous, and its occurrence and development mechanisms are not yet precise and may involve epigenetic changes. Epigenetic alterations mainly include DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA, which are essential for genetic detection, early diagnosis, and assessment of treatment resistance in small B-cell lymphoma. As chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma has already been reported in the literature, this article focuses on small B-cell lymphomas such as follicular lymphoma, mantle cell lymphoma, marginal zone lymphoma, and Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. It discusses recent developments in epigenetic research to diagnose and treat this group of lymphomas. This review provides new ideas for the treatment and prognosis assessment of small B-cell lymphoma by exploring the connection between small B-cell lymphoma and epigenetics.