New York State Department of Health - Wadsworth Center - Cytohematology Proficiency Testing

Slide 045 [100X]

This slide was taken from the blood of a 62 year-old female who was undergoing reevaluation post breast cancer and chemotherapy. Her white blood cell count was 85.2 X 10³/µL and showed 88% monocytes. The laboratory submitting this slide noted a few immature monocytes. Diagnosis was acute monocytic leukemia. The cell indicated by the arrow is a monocyte. The cytoplasm of monocytes in the Wright stained smear is blue-gray when compared to the less intensely stained cytoplasm of neutrophils. The nucleus of a monocyte is usually round or kidney shaped, but may also be lobulated. Chromatin material is loose and coarse when compared to the dense chromatin material of a mature neutrophil. Pass credit was given for all responses as a consensus could not be obtained.

NUMBER OF RESPONSES	CELL CODE AND TYPE
339	code 49- monocyte
140	code 47- segmented neutrophil
4	code 46- band neutrophil
2	code 06- monoblast
2	code 45- metamyelocyte

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