Prolymphocytic leukaemia--report of three cases.

Prolymphocytic leukaemia is a rare subtype of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Three such cases are reported here along with clinical details. All these cases were seen in males above 5th decade of life. These patients showed moderate to massive splenomegaly, inconspicuous lymphadenopathy in two cases and one with minimal lymphadenopathy. Peripheral smear showed high leucocyte count with more than 55% of prolymphocytes. Bone marrow aspiration showed diffuse involvement; and in one with minimal lymphadenopathy, lymph node aspiration showed prolymphocytes. All the three patients died within a year after diagnosis.

Ovarian teratomas in Mangalore.

In the present study 122 ovarian teratomas, reported from the department of pathology, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, were predominantly (76%) seen in the age group below 40 years and the peak incidence was in the third decade (39%). Menstrual disturbances, pain abdomen, pregnancy and abdominal distension were the presenting symptoms. Histologically 113 (92.6%) were benign cystic teratomas showing mainly ectodermal tissue derivatives. Struma ovarii (4 cases) revealed colloid, both macro- and microscopically. Immature teratomas (2 cases) were solid and showed embroynal tissue elements. Teratomas with malignant transformations (3 cases) were grossly nodular and were squamous cell carcinomas.

Prolymphocytic leukaemia--report of three cases.

Prolymphocytic leukaemia is a rare subtype of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia. Three such cases were reported here along with clinical details. All these cases were seen in males above 5th decade. These patients showed moderate to massive splenomegaly, inconspicuous lymphadenoapthy in two cases and one with minimal lymphadenopathy. Peripheral smear showed high leukocyte count with more than 55% of prolymphocytes. Bone marrow aspiration showed diffuse involvement and in one with minimal lymphadenopathy, lymphnode aspiration showed prolymphocytes. All the three patients died within a year after diagnosis.

Benign teratoma of the lesser omentum--a case report.

Teratomas of the lesser omentum are extremely rare and all cases reported in the literature have been benign teratomas with mature tissue elements. A case of teratoma, which behaved in benign fashion in spite of immature elements in a 16-year-old male, is reported. The patient remained free of disease 7 years after surgical resection of the tumour.

Study of mast cells in non-neoplastic skin lesions.

Sixty non-neoplastic skin lesions were studied for mast cells by toluidine blue stain. The highest numbers of mast cells were seen in the viral infections of the skin (50/mm2) and lowest number of mast cells in congenital diseases (17/mm2). Out of the cutaneous bacterial infections, highest numbers of mast cells were seen in leprosy (44/mm2) while in lupus vulgaris they were much less (37/mm2). In leprosy cases it was observed that as the lesions moved from indeterminate to both polar tuberculoid and lepromatous, the mast cell count increased. It could therefore be summarised that periodic follow-up of indeterminate and borderline lesions for mast cell count might help in predicting stability of lesions. In non-infectious squamous and papular lesions the mean mast cell count was 39/mm2. The highest numbers of mast cells in the non-infectious vesicular and bullous lesions were in bullous pemhigoid (57/mm2) and lowest in dermatitis (38/mm2).