CPD: Lymphocytes and Plasma Cells – Essential Blood Cell Morphology

In this comprehensive online course, we will delve into the fascinating world of lymphocytes and plasma cells, with a predominant focus on their morphological features as observed in the blood film. Throughout the course, you will gain a deep understanding of the critical roles played by these cells in the immune system and their significance in clinical diagnoses.

The course is divided into six parts that will guide you through different aspects of lymphocyte and plasma cell morphology:

1. Introduction and Basic Concepts

• In this chapter, we will cover the fundamental concepts of the immune system and its components.
• You will gain an overview of lymphocytes and plasma cells as integral parts of the adaptive immune response.
• We will introduce you to the role of lymphocytes and plasma cells in immune responses and their importance in maintaining a healthy immune system.

2. Normal Lymphocyte Morphology

• Here you will be provided with a detailed overview of the normal morphological features of lymphocytes.
• You will learn about the size, shape, and cellular characteristics of lymphocytes.
• We will explore the different subsets of lymphocytes and their distinctive features along with lymphocyte mimics.

3. Lymphocytosis and Reactive Lymphocyte Morphology

• Here, we will focus on lymphocytosis, a condition characterized by an increased number of lymphocytes in the blood.
• You will learn to identify and interpret the morphological features of reactive lymphocytes in various clinical scenarios.
• We will discuss the underlying causes and implications of lymphocytosis.

4. Chronic B-cell Malignancies

• This section will provide an in-depth exploration of chronic B-cell malignancies, such as chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and hairy cell leukemia (HCL).
• You will learn about the morphological characteristics of malignant B cells and their identification in the blood film.
• We will cover the classification, clinical features, and diagnostic methods for these malignancies.

5.  Chronic T and NK-cell Malignancies

• In this section, we will focus on chronic T-cell and natural killer (NK) cell malignancies, including T-cell lymphomas and NK-cell lymphomas.
• You will gain an understanding of the morphological features of malignant T and NK cells and their identification in blood smears.
• We will discuss the classification, clinical presentation, and diagnostic approaches for these malignancies.

6: Plasma Cell Morphology and Malignancies

• This section will explore the morphological features of plasma cells and their significance in clinical diagnoses.
• We will cover plasma cell dyscrasias, such as multiple myeloma, monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) and plasm cell leukaemia.
• You will learn to identify and interpret the morphological characteristics of plasma cells in the blood film.

We will use video tutorials with English captions and an end-of-course assessment that awards a certificate upon successful completion.

It is estimated this course will take you 1-2 hours to complete.

The target audience for this course are:

• Biomedical scientists/medical laboratory scientists
• Haematology trainees and consultants
• Haematopathology trainees and specialists

Your course certificate will be available for download after successfully completing the course assessment. If you have difficulty downloading your certificate, please email admin@blood-academy.com for further assistance.

By accessing this website and participating in this course, you agree to the conditions outlined in our ‘Terms of Use’ and ‘Privacy Policy’ pages. We strongly recommend you review these pages.