Relevance of a scoring system including CD11c expression in the identification of splenic diffuse red pulp small B-cell lymphoma (SRPL).

'Splenic red pulp lymphoma with numerous basophilic villous lymphocytes' (SRPL), recently described, is characterized by clinical, morphologic, immunologic, cytogenetic and molecular features distinct from SMZL/SLVL and HCL. In particular, the intensity of CD11c staining (expressed as fluorescence intensity -RFI-) in SRPL is significantly different from the RFI in SMZL/SLVL and HCL. Moreover the use of a scoring system based on the expression of CD11c, CD22, CD76, CD38 and CD27 appears to improve the differential diagnosis between SRPL and SMZL/SLVL and emphasizes that SRPL is an entity closed to but distinct from SMZL/SLVL.