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Updated: Sep 4, 2026
Flow Cytometry to Estimate Leukemia Stem Cells in Primary Acute Myeloid Leukemia and in Patient-derived-xenografts, at Diagnosis and Follow Up
Published on: March 26, 2018
Pilot study on RECAF (Receptor for Alpha-Fetoprotein) expression in pediatric acute leukemia: insights from flow
Soha Raouf Youssef1, Mohamed Hany Mohammady1, Shams ElDoha Galal ElDin Zaiema2
1Ain shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
Background:
Acute leukemia is the most common cancer in children, highlighting the importance of early diagnosis. RECAF is an AFP receptor that is abnormally re-expressed in various malignant tumors, serving as a promising biomarker for tumors.
Aim:
This study aimed to assess the clinical utility of RECAF expression by flow cytometry immunophenotyping in pediatric de novo acute leukemia patients.
Methods:
Our study was conducted in 80 pediatric patients with acute leukemia, comprising 40 newly diagnosed ALL patients, 40 newly diagnosed AML patients, and 40 age- and sex-matched non-malignant control subjects. Flow cytometric analysis for the Acute Leukemia panel and RECAF expression was performed on all subjects, along with other laboratory and clinical parameters.
Results:
Our study revealed that RECAF expression was significantly higher in patients with acute leukemia than in controls. We also established a cutoff of ≥ 13.31% for positive RECAF expression by flow cytometry to distinguish RECAF-positive acute leukemia patients from FECAF-negative patients and normal controls.
Conclusion:
Our findings suggest that RECAF could be an important biomarker for differentiating leukemic blasts and may become a useful tool for monitoring measurable residual disease in the future. Such advancements have the potential to improve clinical outcomes and enhance patient monitoring and management for this high-risk group.
