Secondary Lymphoid Tissues ›› Lymph Node ›› Neoplastic: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

T-cell Lymphoma: ALK+ Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma*


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Microscopic Features:
  • Sheets or clusters of Large (>2.5x the size of a mature lymphocyte or equal or > than the size of a histiocyte) abnormal lymphocytes usually involving lymph node but may involve other tissue
  • Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma (ALCL) ususally have horse-shoe shaped large abnormal cells known as "hallmark cells"
  • ALCL typically involves the lymph node sinuses but it may have a diffuse pattern of growth as well
Normal % blood-PB, marrow-BM, lymphoid tissue-LN:
  • PB: N/A
  • BM: N/A
  • LN: N/A
May Resemble: Differential Diagnoses:

Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma
Mantle cell lymphoma (blastoid variant)
Follicular lymphoma (high grade, e.g. 3B)
Burkitt Lymphoma
Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (SLL: The CLL equivalent in tissue)
Mantle Cell Lymphoma
Non-neoplastic reactive Lymph node
Hodgkin Lymphoma

Classic Immunophenotype:
  • CD3+
  • CD30+
  • ALK+
  • CD19-
  • CD20-
Misc:
  • Most are associated with the t(2;5) ALK1-NPM translocation



Content Editors/Website Administrators:
Hooman H. Rashidi, MD; John C. Nguyen, MD