A method for the quantification of cellular composition in lymphoma biopsies.
A method for the classification and quantification of lymphoma cells in non-Hodgkin lymphomas is described. Lymphoma-cell types were defined and used in differential counts of haematoxylin and eosine stained paraffin-embedded sections. The following cell types were distinguished: small lymphoid cells (small lymphocytes and small plasma cells), medium-sized lymphoid cells (round, cleaved and cerebriform lymphocytes, and medium-sized plasma cells), and large lymphoid cells (lymphoblastic, round triple-nucleolated, and pleomorphic types). The intra-observer agreement in the classification of cell types was 43-85%. The agreement in distinguishing small, medium-sized, and large lymphoid cells was 85-92%. In differential counts in contrast to conventional histologic classification all cellular profiles were classified regardless of possible tangential cutting. 92% of the cellular profiles at different sectional planes of the same cells were consistently classified, indicating that tangential cutting of cells only influenced the differential counts to a minor degree. By the quantification of cellular composition in multiple, randomly selected areas, classified as representative at low power magnification, only small intra-lymphoma variations were observed in contrast to marked inter-lymphoma variations. The high reproducibility of lymphoma-cell types in combination with the small intra-lymphoma variation makes the quantifiable method suitable in the histological evaluation of non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
D001706:Biopsy; D002452:Cell Count; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology*; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000145:classification* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000473:pathology