Reduced CD38 expression on CD34+ cells as a diagnostic test in myelodysplastic syndromes

• Published in: Haematologica (Roma) 2009-08, Vol.94 (8), p.1160-1163
• Main Authors: Goardon, Nicolas, Nikolousis, Emmanouil, Sternberg, Alexander, Chu, Wai-Kit, Craddock, Charles, Richardson, Peter, Benson, Richard, Drayson, Mark, Standen, Graham, Vyas, Paresh, Freeman, Sylvie
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1 - blood; Adult; Antigens, CD34 - blood; Biological and medical sciences; Bone Marrow Cells - metabolism; Brief Reports; Flow Cytometry - methods; Hematologic and hematopoietic diseases; Humans; Leukemias. Malignant lymphomas. Malignant reticulosis. Myelofibrosis; Medical sciences; Myelodysplastic Syndromes - blood; Myelodysplastic Syndromes - diagnosis; Myelodysplastic Syndromes - immunology; Reproducibility of Results; Sensitivity and Specificity
• ISSN: 0390-6078; 1592-8721
• DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2008.004085

1 MRC Molecular Haematology Unit and Department of Haematology, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford; 2 Department of Haematology, University of Birmingham and University Hospital of Birmingham, Birmingham; 3 Department of Haematology Great Western Hospital, Swindon; 4 Cancer Research UK, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford; 5 Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Nuffield Orthopaedic Hospital, Oxford; 6 Department of Haematology, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol and 7 Department of Immunology, University of Birmingham and University Hospital of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK Correspondence: Sylvie Freeman, Departments of Haematology and Immunology, University of Birmingham and University Hospital of Birmingham UK and Paresh Vyas, MRC Molecular Haematology Unit and Department of Haematology, Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK. E-mail: s.freeman{at}bham.ac.uk Diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome can be difficult especially in cases with a low blast count and a normal karyotype. Flow cytometry has been used to distinguish myelodysplastic syndrome from non-clonal cytopenias. No one single simple flow cytometric parameter has been proposed to be diagnostic of myelodysplastic syndrome. We have studied samples from 100 myelodysplastic syndrome patients and as control samples; 70 non-clonal cytopenias, 5 subjects with normal hematology, 31 patients with acute myeloid leukemia and 11 with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia or myeloproliferative disorder. We show that reduced relative mean fluorescence of CD38 below a threshold value on CD34 + cells diagnosed low-grade myelodysplastic syndrome with 95% sensitivity (95% confidence interval, 87–99%) and 92% specificity (95% confidence interval, 82–97%). This simple flow cytometric test may be of value in the routine clinical diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome, especially in cases with a low blast count and normal karyotype. Key words: myelodyplasia, immunophenotype, FACS diagnosis. Related Article Flow cytometry immunophenotyping for diagnosis of myelodysplastic syndrome Mario Cazzola Haematologica 2009 94: 1041-1043. [Full Text] [PDF]