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Updated: Jun 5, 2026
Pan-myeloid Differentiation of Human Cord Blood Derived CD34+ Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells
Published on: August 9, 2019
Biological implications of circulating CD34(+) cells in myelodysplastic syndromes
D Marisavljevic1, N Kraguljac-Kurtovic
1Medical Center "Bezanijska kosa", Department of Hematology, Belgrade, Serbia. maris@tehnicom.net
Insights
Elevated circulating CD34(+) cells are common in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) but do not correlate with disease features. This finding suggests that while CD34(+) cells are prevalent in MDS, they may not be a reliable prognostic indicator.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Oncology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders.
- Circulating CD34(+) cells, representing early progenitor cells, are increasingly investigated for their role in MDS pathogenesis and prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the biological and clinical significance of circulating CD34(+) cells in patients diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
Main Methods:
- Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (MNCs) from MDS patients and healthy controls were analyzed for CD34(+) cell counts using flow cytometry.
- Correlations were assessed between CD34(+) cell levels and bone marrow blast percentage, cytogenetics, CFU-GM growth, overall survival, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) transformation.
Main Results:
- MDS patients exhibited significantly higher circulating CD34(+) MNC counts compared to controls (p=0.009).
- Circulating CD34(+) cell proportion did not correlate with peripheral blood or bone marrow blast counts, cytogenetic abnormalities, or GM-progenitor growth.
- A trend suggested shorter overall survival and higher AML transformation rates in patients with elevated circulating CD34(+) cells, though not statistically significant.
Conclusions:
- The presence of circulating CD34(+) cells is a frequent observation in MDS patients.
- No significant correlations were established between elevated circulating CD34(+) cells and key clinical or biological features of MDS.
Purpose:
to evaluate the biological and clinical significance of circulating CD34(+) cells in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS).
Methods:
the relative count of CD34(+) cells in peripheral blood was evaluated by flow cytometry and the results were recorded on the total number of mononuclear cells (MNCs). CD34(+) status was correlated with the percentage of circulating and bone marrow blasts, cytogenetic studies, CFU-GM colony growth, overall survival and transformation to acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Results:
the number of MNC positive for anti-CD34 monoclonal antibody in the healthy control group ranged from 0.00% to 0.73%. Therefore, the cutoff value for overexpression of CD34 antigen on peripheral blood MNC of MDS patients was ≥ 1% (CD34(+) cases). The mean number of circulating CD34(+) MNCs in 30 MDS patients was significantly higher than in the control group (p=0.009). The proportion of circulating CD34(+) MNCs did not correlate with the blast count in the peripheral blood (r=0.282, p=0.131), neither with the blast count in the bone marrow. In contrast, the proportion of circulating CD34(+) cells in MDS patients was significantly correlated with the proportion of bone marrow CD34(+) cells (r=0.461, p=0.035). The proportion of circulating CD34(+) cells did not correspond to the percentage of blast count in the bone marrow, neither with the presence of cytogenetic abnormalities or abnormal growth of GM-progenitors. The median actuarial survival of 19 patients with elevated proportion of circulating CD34(+) cells was 16 months, as compared to >57 months in 11 patients with CD34(+) cells within normal range (p=0.16). Five patients with elevated proportion of circulating CD34(+) cells progressed to AML, as compared to only one of CD34(-)negative (CD34(-)) cases.
Conclusion:
the presence of circulating CD34(+) cells is a common finding in MDS, but no significant correlations with clinical and/or biological features of the disease have been found.
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