Circulating Lymphoma Cells in the Peripheral Blood from 4 Cases of Mantle and T Cell Types of Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: Light and Electron Microscopic Morphology / 대한임상병리학회지

ABSTRACT

It is difficult to distinguish between circulating lymphoma cells and non-lymphoma cells which are lymphocytes, activated lymphocytes, monocytes, and leukemic cells. The presence of circulating lymphoma cells in the peripheral blood is infrequent but the incidence is probably significantly higher than has been reported in morphologic studies of peripheral blood smears. So the morphologic evaluations of the circulating lymphoma cells and non-lymphoma cells are needed. We experienced that circulating lymphoma cells were found in the peripheral blood smears in the 4 cases of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. They were consisted of mantle cell lymphoma (1 case), peripheral T cell lymphoma (1 case), adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (1 case), cutaneous T cell lymphoma (1 case) and diagnosed from their lymph node biopsies. Those circulating lymphoma cells were morphologically observed by light and electron microscopic methods. Using those morphological features, we think that detection rate of circulating lymphoma cells can be improved in the patient with lymphoma.