Non Hodgkin's lymphoma: an ultrastructural study

ABSTRACT

Lymph nodes from 18 patients with various grades of non Hodgkin's lymphoma [NHL] were studied before and during chemotherapy to determine the Ultrastructura1 morphologic alterations and the response of malignant cells to treatment. Some differences occurred regarding the relative incidence of the different histological subtypes after E.M. examination. During treatment, the lymph nodes revealed ultrastructural changes in the nucleus and cell organelles denoting good response to treatment. These results show that the ultrastructural examination permits a more refined evaluation of the cytological details and leads to more accurate diagnosis [especially in equivocal cases of various subtypes of lymphoma. This in turn will affect the line of treatment and the prognosis of the disease. Moreover, the electron microscope could be used as an indicator of the responsiveness of non Hodgkin's lymphoma to treatment