Department of Pathology, State University of New York at Stony Brook



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Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma in the Bone Marrow

When reporting marrows involved by small lymphocytic lymphoma (or its equivalent, chronic lymphocytic leukemia) it is important to assess

  1. the cellularity of the marrow as a whole (the percentage of the inter-trabecular space not occupied by fat cells)
  2. the percentage of inter-trabecular space occupied by the malignant infiltrate
  3. the pattern of the malignant infiltrate: interstitial, nodular, or diffuse

Nodular pattern. The nodules are not pressed up against the trabeculae, as they would be if the lymphoma were follicular.

Interstitial pattern. The malignant cells are the dark, small ones. Normal marrow is at the upper left and lower right corners.

Diffuse pattern.

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