The understanding of the biologic basis of hematopoietic diseases in general and neoplasia in particular has been significantly enhanced by the application of molecular techniques to the study of these diseases. The use of Southern blotting hybridization analysis initiated the…
Flow cytometry (FCM) is invaluable in the diagnosis and classification of hematolymphoid neoplasms, and in determining prognosis and monitoring response to therapy. FCM is especially suited for immunophenotypic analysis of blood, fluids (e.g., cerebrospinal fluid [CSF], pleural fluid), and aspirations…
Perhaps in no other subspecialty of pathology does immunohistochemistry (IHC) play as important a role in the accurate diagnosis and definition of disease subtypes as it does in hematopathology. Before the development of this technology, the diagnosis of lymphoproliferative diseases…
Meaningful interpretation of a bone marrow specimen requires an adequate and well-prepared sample. The definition of adequacy depends on the clinical indication for the examination. For example, for staging lymphoma, a bilateral bone marrow core biopsy is superior to a…
Fine needle aspiration (FNA) of superficial and deep-seated lymph nodes is a well-established and safe method for assessing lymphadenopathy in adult and pediatric patients. Patients with primary or recurrent lymphoma frequently undergo FNA, and this diagnostic modality is even more…
In recent years, technical strides in immunophenotyping and molecular genetic testing have revolutionized the diagnosis of hematolymphoid malignancies. Stained sections prepared from paraffin-embedded fixed tissues remain the foundation of histopathologic diagnosis. The accurate classification of lymphoid tumors and the subsequent…
■ Paraganglioma Extra-adrenal paragangliomas arise from paraganglia distributed along the paravertebral sympathetic and parasympathetic chains and include tumors arising in the carotid body, jugulotympanic body, orbit, nasopharynx, larynx, vagal body, paraspinal chain (aorticosympathetic and visceral-autonomic), urinary bladder, and the organ…
■ Parathyroid Carcinoma Parathyroid carcinoma is a malignant neoplasm arising from the parathyroid parenchymal cells, comprising approximately 1% of all primary hyperparathyroidism (HPT) cases (no malignant adipose tumors are recognized in the parathyroid). Secondary parathyroid hyperplasia and neck irradiation are…
■ Parathyroid Adenoma A parathyroid gland adenoma is an encapsulated benign neoplasm of the parathyroid parenchymal cells (either chief or oncocytic cells). Parathyroid disease is separated into primary, secondary, or tertiary, based on whether the parathyroid gland is primarily the…
■ General Considerations There are a variable number of glands (2 to 10), but usually four are present, symmetrically arranged within the upper and lower poles of the bilateral thyroid gland. Approximately 5% of people have more than four glands.…