Nucleolus
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The nucleolus (plural nucleoli) is a thingy in the nucleus that may give the pathologist a clue to what they are looking at.
Generally speaking, large nucleoli suggest something is happening - they are associated with gene transcription. Large nucleoli are seen in malignancies and reactive conditions.
Macronucleolus
Almost the size of RBC ~ 6-7 micrometers.
Example:
- Reed-Sternberg cell (Hodgkin lymphoma) ~ 5-7 micrometers.[1]
Red nucleolus
Large - can be seen with 10x objective.
Examples:
Large nucleolus
Large - can be seen with 10x objective.
Examples:
- Melanoma.
- Carcinoma.
- Serous carcinoma.
- Adenocarcinoma.
- High-grade renal cell carcinoma.
- Sarcoma:
- Ganglion cell:
- Ganglion (benign).
- Gangliocytic paraganglioma.
- Ganglioneuroma.
Medium-sized nucleolus
Medium - can be seen well with 20x objective.
Examples:
- Prostatic adenocarcinoma.
- Oncocytoma.
- Mammary carcinoma, no special type.
- Embryonal carcinoma.
- Squamous metaplasia of the uterine cervix.
Small
Small - hard to see at 20x objective, seen with 40x objective.
Examples:
Indistinct nucleolus
Not present - cannot see with 40x objective.
Examples:
- Small cell carcinoma.
- Neuroendocrine carcinoma.
See also
References
- ↑ Mitchell, Richard; Kumar, Vinay; Fausto, Nelson; Abbas, Abul K.; Aster, Jon (2011). Pocket Companion to Robbins & Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease (8th ed.). Elsevier Saunders. pp. 329. ISBN 978-1416054542.