278 The Lymphocyte and Lymphocytic Tissue 



feature is of less diagnostic value than the immaturity of the nuclear pattern. 

 The finding of prolymphocytes as the dominant lymphosarcomatous type 

 in a lymph node imprint of tissue histologically indicative of malignant 

 lymphoma points to a cytologically subacute course. This is of practical 

 importance because the lymphosarcoma cells in sectioned material may ap- 

 pear to be smaller and more mature than careful inspection of the same 

 lesion imprinted will warrant. For example, sections of the giant follicular 



Fig. 19-14. A large group of malignant prolymphocytes from a 

 lymph node imprint in giant follicular lymphoma, prolymphocytic 

 cell type. Leishman stain, (x 1100) 



lymphoma imprinted in Figure 19-14 revealed that the nodules of the 

 lymph node lesions were composesd of small, seemingly mature lympho- 

 cytes, suggesting a relatively favorable prognosis. Study of the lymph node 

 imprints, however, revealed a finer stippled chromatin pattern (Fig. 19-14), 

 diagnostic of immature lymphocytes (prolymphocytes), than had been an- 

 ticipated, and a less favorable prognosis was indicated. 



Predominance of prolymphocytes in a lymphocytic leukemic picture (Fig. 

 19-15) is diagnostic of a subacute lymphocytic leukemia. Without specific 

 therapy, subacute lymphocytic leukemia carries from six to twelve months 

 survival time, whereas chronic lymphocytic leukemia affords a longer sur- 

 vival time, sometimes considerably longer. Reference to Table 19-1 recalls 

 another equally valid cellular distribution for a subacute lymphosarcomatous 

 process or for the picture of subacute lymphocytic leukemia, and that is the 



