Page 13 - Haematologica Atlas of Hematologic Cytology

haematologica Journal of the Ferrata Storti Foundation
I would like to take this opportunity to offer my sincere thanks to the Ferrata Storti Foundation and, in particular, to its President, Professor Carlo Balduini, for taking the initiative to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of Haematologica with the publication of this atlas, and I am honored to have been asked to contribute.
The atlas is a collection of cytological pictures concerning all the main hematologic diseases, as well as those rather rare hematologic disorders that are not often found in clinical practice. Photomicrographs have been provided with detailed captions describing the morphological findings and they demonstrate how much information can be obtained from a careful exami- nation of peripheral blood or bone marrow smears. The legends often also include clinical and laboratory findings, especially immunophenotypic, cytogenetic or molecular genetic data, since the diagnosis is frequently based on the integration of the results of different techniques. Some chapters on non-neoplastic hemopathies have been prepared with the contribution of leading experts in the field.
My personal contribution is the result of a long experience as a cytomorphologist. I have se- lected the most representative pictures from a rich photographic collection that I have, with great determination and passion, put together over several decades of work in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Pavia. Over these many years, I have had the oppor- tunity to personally follow many of the patients whose peripheral blood and bone marrow pre- parations have been examined and photographed, each one of whom can still be remembered.
While in recent years photomicrographs have been taken directly with a digital camera, the illustrations of older cases have been realized by scanning slides. Smears were stained with May-Grünwald Giemsa, unless specifically stated in the legends. The neoplastic hemopathies have been reclassified according to the World Health Organization (WHO) 2016 criteria, and a brief explanation of these is provided in the introductory section of the respective chapters. As far as nomenclature is concerned, in addition to the WHO recommendations, reference has been made to the guidelines of the International Council for Standardization in Haema- tology (ICSH) group. Each chapter includes an essential bibliography for further consulta- tion.
I hope this atlas can provide a useful reference tool both for the expert hematologist and those specializing in the field, as well as pathologists, medical technologists, and medical students. Indeed, even today, morphological examination of peripheral blood and bone mar- row maintains a diagnostic role of primary importance.
Finally, I would like to mention with deep gratitude my mentor, Professor Edoardo Storti, who was a clinician and scientist of incomparable skills and who taught me to interpret the lan- guage of microscopic images. He used to remind us that, even if hematology is becoming more and more molecular in its diagnostic and therapeutic approach, the results of the most sophisticated investigations will always have to be interpreted on the basis of the microscopic morphological findings.
Rosangela Invernizzi
Pavia, Italy, December 2019
INTRODUCTION