Chronic lymphocytic-leukemia with pleomorphic lymphocytes (cll-pleo) - a comparative-study with typical cll

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Oncology
• Immunology

Background:

• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a heterogeneous lymphoid malignancy.
• A morphological variant, CLL with pleomorphic lymphocytes (CLL-pleo), presents distinct cellular features.
• Understanding the immunophenotypic profile of CLL-pleo is crucial for accurate diagnosis and classification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To define the immunophenotype of CLL-pleo.
• To compare the phenotype of CLL-pleo with that of typical CLL.
• To determine if CLL-pleo represents a distinct biological entity or a variant of typical CLL.

Main Methods:

• Flow cytometry analysis of cell surface markers on peripheral blood lymphocytes.
• Analysis of 21 CLL-pleo cases and 155 typical CLL cases.
• Evaluation of surface immunoglobulin, CD5, CD22, and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase expression.

Main Results:

• CLL-pleo exhibited weak surface immunoglobulin fluorescence, positive mouse rosettes and CD5, and negative CD22 and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase.
• No statistically significant differences were found in the expression rates or percentages of these markers between CLL-pleo and typical CLL.
• CLL-pleo cases showed a significantly higher mean absolute lymphocyte count compared to typical CLL.

Conclusions:

• CLL-pleo is a morphological variant of typical CLL.
• CLL-pleo shares the same membrane phenotype as typical CLL.
• The primary distinction lies in morphology and lymphocyte count, not immunophenotype.