[Lymphoma of the splenic mantle. Morphologic, immunologic and ultrastructural characterization of a case].

We present a splenic primary mantle lymphoma in a 64 year old woman, without peripheral lymphoadenopathy and stage IV at the moment of the diagnosis. Grossly a splenic infiltration was observed. Microscopically, a nodular lymphoma of small lymphocytes proliferating around benign germinal centers makes the diagnosis. Immunohistochemically, tumoral lymphocytes expressed SIgG/kappa and CD5 (Leu-1). Markers of follicular center origin CD10 (CALLA) were negative. According to working formulation mantle-cell lymphoma is considered a lymphoma of intermediate grade of malignancy. In our case, the morphologic, immunologic, ultrastructural findings and clinical evolution were more characteristics of a low grade lymphoma that a intermediate grade of malignancy.