Naked megakaryocyte nuclei: a clue to malignancy.
Bone marrow smears from 63 patients with various malignancies and a series of 51 controls were examined for the presence and percentage of naked megakaryocyte nuclei (NMN). Patients with malignancy had more than 15% NMN, which, when compared with the incidence in controls, was statistically significant. The etiology of this artifact is unknown. It is a clue to the presence of malignancy, and might be useful in following treated cases of malignancy for evidence of relapse. NMN should not be confused with metastatic malignant cells.
D002467:Cell Nucleus / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008533:Megakaryocytes / Q000473:pathology*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D009364:Neoplasm Recurrence, Local / Q000175:diagnosis; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*