Prognostic value of nucleoli and cell size in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

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Abstract
In an effort to improve prediction of duration of survival in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, correlations between blood‐cell morphology and survival were investigated. Blood films made on 108 patients at the time of diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia were reviewed by a single hematologist. Lymphocyte diameter and the fraction of lymphocytes containing nucleoli were both found to have an inverse correlation with survival.Bone‐marrow aspirate films were available for 64 patients. Differential leukocyte counts showed that the median for marrow lymphocytes was 64%. Those patients with a greater than median proportion of lymphocytes on marrow aspirate had a shorter survival time than those with less than median.