Open or closed nuclear membrane? A question to help distinguish malignant lymphoma from carcinoma and sarcoma.

Objective: To describe a cytomorphologic criterion that may help improve diagnostic safety in morphologic differentiation of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) from carcinoma or sarcoma and investigate the significance of this cytomorphologic phenomenon.

Study Design: Eighty-two smears of NHL, carcinoma and sarcoma smears were examined. Forty-five smears were from patients with carcinoma and 35 from patients with NHL.