The 1st Edition of Histopathology of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas, written in col laboration with Professor H. STEIN and published in 1981, was received well and is now out of print. In the meantime, there has been an explosion of data that not only have made the definitions of various entities more precise but, above all, have confirmed the main entities originally delineated in the Kiel classification. The development of monoclonal antibodies and molecular cytogenetics has also made it possible to identify T-cell lymphomas more accurately. For example, many of the malignant lymphomas that were previously considered to be unclas sifiable can now be included in a classification scheme that places the T-cell lymphomas alongside of the list of B-cell lymphomas. In 1988 the European Lymphoma Club published an "updated Kiel classification" (STANSFELD et al. 1988) based on this new knowledge. It includes a number of previously undefined types of T-cell lymphoma. Studies done in Japan (T. SUCH! et al.) and China (L. Y Tu) have contributed to the understanding of these lymphoma types.

This volume of Molecular Biology of Hematopoiesis is dedicated to John W. Adam son, M. D. , Tadamitsu Kishimoto, M. D. , Robert C. Gallo, M. D. , Arthur W. Nienhuis, M. D. , and Franco Mandelli, M. D. , for their contributions in developing an overall view of the state-of-the-art knowledge in the field of hematopoiesis. Richard Champlin, among other renowned clinicians, presented updated information on stem cells and T-cell depletion for bone marrow transplant. A clinical update on thrombopoietin was presented by Pamela Hunt of Amgen and by Kenneth Kaushansky. Arthur Nienhuis' and Katherine Turner's contribu tions to our current knowledge and advances in the fields of growth factors and gene transfer were also recognized during the 9th Symposium on Molecular Biology of Hematopoiesis in Genoa. The chapters cover such diverse areas as preclinical and clinical updates on growth factors and positive and negative regulatory molecules. "Advances in Leukemia: Mechanism and Treatment by Interferon" was presented by Professor Sante Tura. Readers will find presentation of exciting advances that have occurred in the area of hematopoiesis. The elucidation of gene structures of key growth factor proteins such as IL-12 and IL-II will lead to new insights and new approaches in understanding the regulation of hematopoiesis, as well as application of new growth factors.

Un sere ursprungliche Absicht, die noch fehlenden Krankheitsbilder des leukozy- taren Systems in einem Band zusammenzufassen, muBten wir aufgeben, da ein solcher Band das fUr ein Handbuch ertragliche Volumen weit uberschritten hatte. Die notwendige Teilung erwies sich dann auch yom Inhalt her als richtig und wunschenswert. Der Teilband Il/6 legt nunmehr unser derzeitiges Wissen uber die verschiedenen Leukamieformen detailliert und ausgebreitet vor: Der theoretischen Basis unserer Arbeit wurden mit Absicht mehrere einleitende Kapi- tel gewidmet, die sich in ihrer Stoffauswahl aber immer den praktischen Bedurf- nissen unterordnen. So ist es verstandlich, daB die Grundlagen unserer therapeu- tischen Moglichkeiten besonders ausfUhrlich dargesteUt wurden, unter ihnen vor allem die supportiven MaBnahmen in ihren vielfaltigen Schattierungen, deren Anwendungsmoglichkeiten naturlich uber den engeren Bereich der Leukamien hinausgehen. Der bald folgende 7. Teilband wird sich dann ausfUhrlich mit den sogenann- ten Non-Hodgkin-Lymphomen befassen, also jener Krankheitsgruppierung, die erst in den letzten Jahren als ubergeordnete Einheit zahlreicher, sich in mancher- lei Einzelheiten unterscheidender Erkrankungen des lymphatischen Systems her- ausgearbeitet wurde. Dieser Band wird daher als eine wichtige Erganzung des Teilbandes IllS zu verstehen sein.