This document summarizes diagnostic cytological findings of leukemias in domestic carnivores. It presents 14 figures showing bone marrow, lymph node, and blood smears from dogs and cats exhibiting a variety of leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes. The figures demonstrate abnormal cell populations and features diagnostic of acute myeloid leukemia, acute megakaryoblastic leukemia, acute leukemia with monocytic differentiation, myelodysplastic syndrome, chronic neutrophilic leukemia, essential thrombocythemia, myelofibrosis, and systemic mastocytosis.
This document summarizes diagnostic cytological findings of leukemias in domestic carnivores. It presents 14 figures showing bone marrow, lymph node, and blood smears from dogs and cats exhibiting a variety of leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes. The figures demonstrate abnormal cell populations and features diagnostic of acute myeloid leukemia, acute megakaryoblastic leukemia, acute leukemia with monocytic differentiation, myelodysplastic syndrome, chronic neutrophilic leukemia, essential thrombocythemia, myelofibrosis, and systemic mastocytosis.
This document summarizes diagnostic cytological findings of leukemias in domestic carnivores. It presents 14 figures showing bone marrow, lymph node, and blood smears from dogs and cats exhibiting a variety of leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes. The figures demonstrate abnormal cell populations and features diagnostic of acute myeloid leukemia, acute megakaryoblastic leukemia, acute leukemia with monocytic differentiation, myelodysplastic syndrome, chronic neutrophilic leukemia, essential thrombocythemia, myelofibrosis, and systemic mastocytosis.
This document summarizes diagnostic cytological findings of leukemias in domestic carnivores. It presents 14 figures showing bone marrow, lymph node, and blood smears from dogs and cats exhibiting a variety of leukemias and myelodysplastic syndromes. The figures demonstrate abnormal cell populations and features diagnostic of acute myeloid leukemia, acute megakaryoblastic leukemia, acute leukemia with monocytic differentiation, myelodysplastic syndrome, chronic neutrophilic leukemia, essential thrombocythemia, myelofibrosis, and systemic mastocytosis.
with monocytic differentiation (FAB M4 or M5). The node is almost effaced by neoplastic round cells with variable monocytic differentiation. The white blood cell count of this dog was 117,000/l, with 11,000 neutrophils/l, 10,000 monocytes/l, and 90,000 unclassifiable cells/l. The dog also had moderate anemia and thrombocytopenia.
. Figure 5. Bone marrow aspirate, dog, acute
megakaryoblastic leukemia (FAB M7). A diagnosis of AMegL, as with other AML, requires 20% blast cells, but more than half of the blast cells must be identifiable either morphologically or by immunophenotypic analysis as megakaryocytic. Most blast cells in this image display cytoplasmic and chromatin features typical of megakaryoblasts (irregular, tattered cytoplasmic borders, fine cytoplasmic vacuolization with mottled staining). The dog had severe thrombocytopenia. Wright-Giemsa stain
Figure 6. Bone marrow aspirate, cat, AML with myelodysplasia-related
changes. This cat was infected with feline leukemia virus; the high blast percentage was accompanied by a high percentage of cells with dysplastic features. The 2 top cells in Fig. 6 are atypical intermediate- to late-stage erythroid precursors with increased cytoplasmic volume and unevenly clumped and fissured chromatin, which results in a plasmacytoid appearance, but compared with plasma cells, chromatin is less granular and inconsistent between cells, paranuclear clear zone is not as pronounced, and cytoplasm exhibits muted basophilia with green overcast, due to partial hemoglobinization (compare with plasma cell, top right Fig. 12).
Figure 7. Bone marrow aspirate, cat, AML with myelodysplasiarelated changes (same cat as Fig. 6). The top cell is an unclassifiable blast cell but likely erythroid given the richly basophilic cytoplasm; the central cell is an atypical neutrophil with cytoplasmic basophilia, atypical nuclear segmentation, and frothy vacuolization; the bottom cell is an early erythroid precursor, which would be counted as a blast cell if the myeloid to erythroid ratio is <1.0. Blast cells with erythroid features predominated in this marrow, suggesting an interpretation of acute erythroleukemia, but a high frequency of dysplastic morphologies shifted the diagnosis to AML with myelodysplasiarelated changes, which has a poor prognosis regardless of morphologic phenotype. Wright-Giemsa stain
Figure 8. Bone marrow aspirate, cat, myelodysplastic syndrome.
The cat had chronic severe neutropenia, with ineffective dysplastic myeloid hyperplasia observed in the bone marrow. Atypical features in marrow were primarily seen within esoinophils and their precursors. Note eosinophilic precursors (arrows) with pseudo Pelger-Hut anomaly, acquired secondary to development of MDS. Arrowheads indicate blast cells and the asterisk marks a mitotic late stage erythroid precursor. The total blast count was 19% of all nucleated. Ultimately the cat developed severe nonregenerative anemia but did not progress to AML. Wright stain.
Figure 9. Bone marrow aspirate, dog, chronic neutrophilic leukemia. This
is a highly cellular preparation with approximately 90% band and segmented neutrophils, 10% immature granulocytes and blast cells. Erythroid precursors are rare and megakaryocytes are absent. Wright stain.
Figure 10. Peripheral blood, cat, essential thrombocythemia. This cat
was infected with feline leukemia virus. Peripheral blood contained many more platelets than red blood cells, with the result that the plateletcrit was higher than the hematocrit. A single nucleated red blood cell, several macrocytic red blood cells, and several hypochromic (possible ghost cells) red blood cells are also evident. Wright-Giemsa stain.
Figure 11. Bone marrow tissue, dog, myelofibrosis. Most of the
marrow is replaced by mature collagen fibers. Wedged between these fibers are small clusters of hematopoietic cells and hemosiderophages. An aspirate of the marrow was poorly cellular (dry tap) because of the severe fibrosis. HE
Figure 12. Splenic aspirate, dog, systemic
mastocytosis. This dog did not have a history of a cutaneous mast cell tumor, but mastocytemia was accompanied by multiorgan mastocytosis, consistent with systemic mastocytosis. Most of the cells in this image are mast cells, which are identifiable by the polar concentration of dark purple granules. Wright-Giemsa stain.
Figure 13. Bone marrow tissue, dog, systemic
mastocytosis. The marrow contains hematopoietic cells, unidentifiable round cells, and hemosiderophages. HE
Figure 14. Bone marrow tissue, dog, systemic
mastocytosis. Same marrow as in Fig. 13. Mast cells become more easily discerned after staining with toluidine blue. Toluidine blue.
