Possible prognostic value of nucleolar morphology in pathologic cells of B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) represents a heterogeneous disease with a very variable outcome. The reliable prognosis of this disease at the time of initial diagnosis is difficult to predict. The purpose of this preliminary study was to utilize the nucleolar morphology and to investigate the incidence of main nucleolar types in leukemic lymphocytes in B-CLL patients to assess their possible predictive value for the disease outcome, in correlation with immunophenotype parameters.

Immunophenotyping parameters as prognostic factors in T-acute leukemia patients.

The main aim of this study represents the extension of our studies using multiparametric flow cytometry analysis for exact definition of membrane and intracellular (cytoplasmic and nuclear) markers of acute leukemia cells of T-phenotype. The study of blasts of each patient with all available monoclonal antibodies targeted to T-cell differential antigens and against possible marker coexistence from different lineages has been performed. The main aim was concerned to more proper T-ALL diagnosis and stage definition and identification of the prognostic factors and the useful markers for the follow-up of T-ALL in remission.

Increased myeloid precursors in regenerating bone marrow; implications for detection of minimal residual disease in acute myeloid leukemia.

Presented study is focused on exact immunophenotypic definition of myeloid precursors and their following stages in regenerating bone marrow during treatment of ALL/AML for correct interpretation of the immunophenotype results and proper distinction from minimal residual disease (MRD) by multiparameter flow cytometry. This study includes bone marrow samples from 36 controls, 27 patients with AML, 39 patients with B-ALL undergoing therapy who remained in complete remission after treatment and also 30 B-ALL patients one year after the end of therapy. We observed substantial expansion of immature bone marrow populations in the regenerating bone marrows, which were identified by expression of CD34 and/or CD117 markers by 4-color flow cytometry.

The knowledge on the 3rd type hematogones could contribute to more precise detection of small numbers of precursor B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Bone marrow hematogones (benign B-lymphocyte precursors) may cause diagnostic problems due to their morphologic and immunophenotypic similarities with neoplastic lymphoblasts. Hematogone populations in presented study containing 358 bone marrow specimens of 251 individuals always exhibited a continuous and complete maturation spectrum of antigen expression typical for normal evolution of B-lineage precursors; lacking aberrant or asynchronous antigen expression. In contrast lymphoblasts of 19 bone marrows of precursors B-ALL patients showed maturation arrest and exhibited several immunophenotypic aberrancies.

Analysis of surface and cytoplasmic immunoglobulin light/heavy chains by flow cytometry using a lysed-whole-blood technique: Implications for the differential diagnosis of B-cell malignancies.

The study was aimed at the proper detection of surface and cytoplasmic clonal Ig light/heavy chains in the frame of multiparameter flow cytometry analysis of some B-cell malignancies. An exact direct evidence has been obtained that the leukemia cells following staining by antibodies to immunoglobulins will need to be washed to eliminate free plasma Igs. The results of proper Ig detection with simultaneous unaltered staining of further 2-3 markers on the cell surface after elimination of free plasma Ig in the whole blood sample are described.