Abstract
The following recommendations for the differentiation of lymphatic cells in the blood film of adults have been developed by the working group for laboratory diagnostics of the German Society of Haematology and Oncology on behalf of the German and Austrian haematological societies. The nomenclature of lymphatic cells should be harmonised in Germany and Europe and should provide a practical approach on how to differentiate lymphatic cells. The basis of the new nomenclature is the upfront classification into inconspicuous or conspicuous lymphatic cells. In a second step, the conspicuous cells are further assigned to “atypical cells, suspect reactive” or “atypical cells, suspect neoplastic”. The percentages of the resulting three-way division are integrated into the differential white count. If this assignment of conspicuous cells is impossible, they are called “atypical cells, uncertain nature” in a fourth category of “diverse cells”. This category of “diverse cells” also contains cells which are only rarely or never present in the normal blood film or unclear cells. The assignment to the category “diverse” essentially requires a comment in the report describing these cells and a subsequent clarification of such findings.
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