Workshop

What we see:

• The lymphoid population is predominated by small lymphocytes with lower numbers of intermediate to large lymphocytes. A rare melanocyte is noted.  
• Interpretation: Normal lymphoid population with rare melanocytes 
  
  

Let's talk about this case...

• The lymphoid population is normal (predominance of small lymphocytes). 
• There is a single melanocyte present at about 1 o'clock. 
• These cases can be challenging, because melanocytes can be completely normal in lymph nodes in low numbers. If there was no history of melanocytic neoplasia in this dog, rare melanocytes would not be of concern. However, since this dog has a nearby melanoma, we can't know for sure if the rare melanocytes present in this aspirate are normal or if they represent micrometastasis. They are not present in overly concerning numbers, but we can't rule out the possibility of micromets. 
• Histopathologic evaluation is ideal for definitive assessment in these cases.