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Small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with bone marrow and peripheral blood involvement mimicking a lymphoma in leukemic phase - 1.

Small-cell neuroendocrine carcinoma with bone marrow and peripheral blood involvement mimicking a lymphoma in leukemic phase - 1.
#00004014
Author: Marco Cocco; Antonio Cossu; Francesco Tanda; Silvana Bonfigli; Salvatore Contini; Claudio Fozza; Maurizio Longinotti;
Category: Laboratory Hematology > Non-hematopoietic malignancies involving the blood or bone marrow
Published Date: 08/01/2009

A 37-year-old woman presented with mediastinic syndrome, pericardial effusion, diffuse lymphoadenopathy, and severe pancytopenia. Peripheral blood smear showed sporadic nucleolated large cells recalling poorly differentiated lymphoma cells. Bone marrow smears were characterized by a diffuse infiltration by undifferentiated cells forming syncitia and resembling the ones detected in the periphery. These abnormal cells were negative for lymphoid and myeloid markers on flow cytometry. Latero-cervical lymph node biopsy as well as bone marrow trephine showed diffuse infiltration by poorly differentiated cells which turned out to be negative for CD45, CD99, Myeloperoxidase, CD34, CD15, and S-100 while being strongly positive for neuron-specific enolase on histochemistry. This picture shows a circulating neuroendocrine tumor cell (on the right, beside a normal lymphocyte) (MGG ×100). Of note, this circulating tumor cell shows features very similar to those of lymphoma cells.