Immunophenotyping of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) is one of the most common diagnoses made by flow cytometry laboratories. There is no consensus on which markers need to be used in flow cytometry for accurate immunophenotyping. Herein, we investigated the role of markers used in flow cytometry in the distinction between CLL and MCL.

A total 339 recently diagnosed B lymphoproliferative patient cases were retrospectively studied for their immunophenotypical propoerties using flow cytometry. They included 306 CCL cases and 33 MCL cases.

The positivity of CD23 was diagnostic for CLL (p < 0.001). CD22, CD79b, and FMC7 expressions were highly positive in CLL cases, but not statistically significant in making differential diagnoses between atypical CLL and MCL (p = 1.000, p = 0.431 and p = 1.000, respectively). Evaluation of CD11c, CD25, CD43, and CD38 expressions, which are included in the LPD panel but not in the matatutes scoring, revealed that CD11c, CD38, and CD43 expressions are statistically significant in the distinction of atypical CLL from MCL (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.001).

We can say that CD11c, CD38, and CD43, which have been included in our lymphoproliferative disease panel, were more valuable than CD22, CD79b, and FMC7 in the diagnosis of CLL.