The 2016 update of the WHO classification update of lymphoid malignancies includes new entities and modifications, which affect current treatment paradigms and provide a framework for new interventional strategies, as summarised in this review. With the increasing understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms behind lymphoid malignancies involving surface markers, signaling transduction pathways, epigenetic modulations as well as the tumour micro-environment, novel agents and immune therapeutic strategies have been developed. These precision medicine approaches are gradually improving the prognosis of lymphoma patients. Methods reliably assessing the quality of clinical responses also contribute to this general prognostic improvement.