Smudge Cells in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia: Pathophysiology, Laboratory Considerations, and Clinical Significance.

Steven M Marionneaux^1,2, Elaine M Keohane¹, Nicole Lamanna³, Thomas C King^1,4, Shashi R Mehta¹

¹Clinical Laboratory and Medical Imaging Sciences, School of Health Professions, Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey, USA.

²Scientific Affairs, Cellavision AB, Lund, Sweden.

³Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, New York Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.

⁴Immunovia, Inc, Marlborough, Massachusetts, USA.

PubMed DOI

Abstract

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most commonly encountered leukemia in the clinical laboratory. Cytoskeletal defects in CLL lymphocytes can result in the formation of up to 75% smudge cells (SCs) during blood film preparation. Failure to account for these damaged lymphocytes in the white blood cell (WBC) differential diminishes the accuracy and reproducibility of the results. Lacking clea…

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