Zeta-chain associated protein 70 and CD38 combined predict the time to first treatment in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Background: Zeta-chain associated protein (ZAP)-70 has been proposed as a surrogate marker for immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region (IgVH) mutation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), but it is still not clear whether it is an independent prognostic factor.

Methods: The authors evaluated ZAP-70 expression by flow cytometry in 201 untreated patients and correlated ZAP-70 levels with CD38 expression, genetic abnormalities detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), and the time from diagnosis to first treatment.

Results: Fifty-seven patients (28%) were positive for ZAP-70 (> or = 20%).

CD52 expression in T-cell large granular lymphocyte leukemia--implications for treatment with alemtuzumab.

Few reports on the successful treatment of T-cell large granular lymphocyte (LGL) leukemia with the humanized anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody alemtuzumab are emerging in the literature. The expression of CD52 by LGLs has not been previously investigated. Using semi-quantitative 2- and 3-color flow cytometry, we documented the expression of CD52 in 100% of abnormal cells in T-cell LGL leukemia (n = 11) and natural killer (NK) cell LGL leukemia (n = 2), and showed no significant difference in CD52 expression between T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (PLL) and T-cell LGL leukemia.

The diagnostic value of CD123 in B-cell disorders with hairy or villous lymphocytes.

Background And Objectives: CD123 is an antibody that identifies the a chain of the human interleukin-3 receptor and is expressed in a variety of normal hematopoietic cells, acute leukemia and hairy cell leukemia (HCL). The aim of the study was to investigate the diagnostic value of CD123 expression in B-cell disorders with circulating hairy and villous lymphocytes.

Design And Methods: We investigated the diagnostic value of CD123 expression in neoplastic cells from 59 patients with B-cell disorders with circulating hairy or villous lymphocytes: HCL (n=24), the variant form of HCL (n=11) and splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes (SLVL) (n=24).

Diagnostic significance of CD20 and FMC7 expression in B-cell disorders.

We analyzed by flow cytometry the expression of CD20 and FMC7 in cell suspensions from 932 patients, including 630 cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), 23 cases of other B-cell leukemias, and 279 cases of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-cell NHL). CD20 was positive in 94.5% of cases; FMC7 was positive in 35.

Detection of cyclin D1 in B cell lymphoproliferative disorders by flow cytometry.

Aims: To describe and revise a flow cytometric assay for evaluating cyclin D1 overexpression in B cell lymphoproliferative disorders (B-LPDs).

Methods: Cyclin D1 expression was evaluated in 11 healthy controls and 51 patients with B-LPD by flow cytometry using the 5D4 monoclonal antibody. In 25 cases, experiments were repeated up to four times with mononuclear cells (MNC) fixed in ethanol for 1-120 days to evaluate the consistency of cyclin D1 expression.