Platelet satellitism as presenting finding in mantle cell lymphoma - A case report

Platelet satellitism surrounding polymorphonuclear neutrophils has been obs erved almost exclusively in EDTA-treated blood at room temperature. The mec hanism underlying this phenomenon is not understood fully. We report a case of platelet resetting around atypical lymphocytes in peripheral blood smea rs made from EDTA-treated and untreated blood. Flow cytometry, of the perip heral blood sample and immunohistochemical stains of the subsequent bone ma rrow biopsy specimen revealed a monoclonal B-cell population positive for C D5, CD20, and cyclin D1 and negative for CD3 and CD23; cytogenetic findings revealed a complex karyotype that included t(11;14). These findings were c onsistent with mantle cell lymphoma. To our knowledge, the finding of plate let satellitism involving mantle cell lymphoma cells in peripheral blood ha s not been reported previously.