Lymphoma originates primarily from what category of cells?

Lymphoma primarily originates from mature lymphocytes, which are a type of white blood cell involved in the immune response. These cells play a crucial role in fighting infections and are part of the lymphatic system. When these mature lymphocytes undergo malignant transformation, they can proliferate uncontrollably, leading to the development of lymphoma, which can be categorized into various subtypes based on cell type, maturity, and behavior.

In contrast, stem cells are early, undifferentiated cells that have the potential to develop into various types of cells. While some hematologic cancers do arise from early progenitor cells, lymphoma specifically is characterized by its origin in the more developed differentiation stage of lymphocytes rather than at the stem cell level.

Blasts refer to immature cells that are typically seen in acute leukemias. They are not the primary origin of lymphoma, which involves more mature immune cells. Granulocytes, on the other hand, are a different category of white blood cells involved primarily in innate immunity and are not the cells from which lymphoma originates. Thus, the correct association with lymphoma is with mature lymphocytes.