Background

in treatment, many types of human B cell lymphomas remain incurable, highlighting a clear need for new Edwards et al. BMC Cancer 2013, 13:481 http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/13/481splenic marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), B cell chronic3Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the articlemost common human cancer with over 70,000 new cases annually, resulting in approximately 21,000 deaths per year [1-3]. For unknown reasons, the annual incidence of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) has doubled since the 1970s [3]. Mature B cell neoplasms account for over 90% of lymphoid tumors worldwide. Despite recent advances preventative and therapeutic strategies [1-3]. Identification and validation of novel genetic risk factors and critical oncogenic pathways are imperative for further translational efforts. In keeping with these goals, recent studies from our laboratory and others have identified TRAF3, a critical determinant of B cell survival [4,5], as a novel tumor suppressor in a variety of human B cell lineage neoplasms. Homozygous deletions and inactivating mutations of the Traf3 gene have been identified in NHL, includin