The grant focuses on the immunologic and ultrastructural evaluation of benign and malignant lymphoid tumors occurring in the conjunctiva, lacrimal gland, orbit, and other ocular tissues. The analysis of cases has shown that there are two types of lesions: immunologically polyclonal lesions, and immunologically monoclonal lesions. These two sub-types of lesions correlate closely with the routine light microscopic appearance, in that the former appear to have benign cytopathologic features, whereas the latter show evidence of immaturity or a monotonous population of borderline mature cells. In ultrastructural studies, it has been possible to identify nuclear irregularities in the malignant group, as well as a homogeneous population of cells in the malignant lesions in terms of similarity of cytoplasmic organelles and organization. In the reactive lesions, a higher percentage ofmature lymphocytes, plasmocytes, and histiocytes has been observed.
