Nodular transformation of splenic red pulp due to carcinomatous infiltration. A diagnostic pitfall.

Autopsy of three women dying of disseminated carcinoma of stomach, colon, and breast, respectively, revealed a grossly unremarkable spleen. Microscopic examination demonstrated a nodular transformation of the red pulp, simulating a follicular lymphoma. Immunostaining revealed dissociated carcinomatous cells between the nodules, and this was thought to be the cause of the nodular transformation.