The fifth edition of the WHO Classification of Haematolymphoid Tumours (WHO-HAEM5) is now available online and will soon be available in print as a two-part volume.
WHO-HAEM5 is an essential tool for standardizing diagnostic practice worldwide and forms the basis for translating cancer research into patient care. More than 400 expert authors and editors from approximately 30 countries contributed to this volume: haematopathologists and haematologists joined geneticists, molecular biologists, immunologists, and epidemiologists, fully reflecting the increasing interdisciplinarity of the diagnostic process.
This timely revision to the classification applies scientific advances to clinical contexts and incorporates them into current standards. The definition and diagnosis of distinct disease types continues to be based on multiple clinicopathological parameters and now includes a genetic basis wherever possible. More than ever, a deliberate strategy to support the worldwide applicability of the classification is now in place.