Abstract
The hematolymphoid system plays primary roles in oxygen transport, hemostasis, and immunity. The primary cell types are divided into myeloid and lymphoid lineages. The myeloid lineage includes erythrocytes, granulocytes, monocytes/histiocytes, dendritic cells, mast cells, and megakaryocytes/platelets, whereas the lymphoid lineage includes T cells, NK cells, and B cells/plasma cells. After birth, hematopoiesis primarily occurs in bone marrow. After migrating from marrow, T lymphoid progenitors mature in the thymus following T cell receptor selection. Lymph nodes and spleen serve as the sites of adaptive immune response during which further lymphoid differentiation can occur. Therefore, bone marrow and thymus are designated as primary lymphoid organs, whereas lymph node and spleen are secondary lymphoid organs. This chapter takes a function-and-form approach to discuss the cytomorphologic features of the cellular constituents in the hematolymphoid organ systems and the utility of cytologic evaluation.
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Gutierrez-Lanz, E.A., Lee, W.Y., Pantanowitz, L. (2022). Lymphoid and Hematopoietic Systems (Lymph Nodes, Thymus, Spleen, Bone Marrow). In: Lew, M., Pang, J., Pantanowitz, L. (eds) Normal Cytology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-20336-7_7
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