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Tryptase‐positive mast cells accompany lymphocytic as well as lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma infiltrates in bone marrow trephine biopsies
Author(s) -
Wilkins B S,
Buchan S L,
Webster J,
Jones D B
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
histopathology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.626
H-Index - 124
eISSN - 1365-2559
pISSN - 0309-0167
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2559.2001.01173.x
Subject(s) - lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma , tryptase , bone marrow , pathology , mast cell , systemic mastocytosis , medicine , chymase , lymphoma , immunoglobulin light chain , non hodgkin's lymphoma , waldenstrom macroglobulinemia , antibody , immunology
Tryptase‐positive mast cells accompany lymphocytic as well as lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma infiltrates in bone marrow trephine biopsiesAims : To investigate the specificity of increased bone marrow mast cell numbers in lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL) and to evaluate the relationship between mast cell number and the immunoglobulin phenotype of neoplastic lymphoid cells. Methods and results : Retrospective study of bone marrow trephine biopsy specimens from patients with LPL, compared with selected cases representing chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) and multiple myeloma (MM) of known immunoglobulin light and heavy chain phenotype. Bone marrow mast cells were counted following immunohistochemical staining of sections for mast cell tryptase. We have confirmed previous observations that mast cell numbers are increased in bone marrow infiltrates of LPL. However, we found similarly high mast cell numbers in CLL. High mast cell numbers were associated with neoplastic lymphoid cells expressing an IgM κ phenotype. Mast cell numbers were low in all cases of MM studied and in controls with no lymphoma present. We observed an apparent bias towards κ light chain expression in our cases of LPL. Conclusions : Mast cell number should not be considered a reliable factor in the differential diagnosis of LPL and CLL when assessing bone marrow histology. Possible bias towards κ light chain expression in LPL requires further study, as do the mechanism and functions of mast cell recruitment by neoplastic lymphoid cells.