013 (CD99) positivity in hematologic proliferations correlates with TdT positivity

The monoclonal antibody 013, which detects the cell surface glycoprotein p30/32mic2 (CD99) is a characteristic, if nonspecific, marker for peripheral neuroepithelioma and Ewing's sarcoma. 013 was first produced against a human thymus leukemia antigen and has also been found in immature terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-positive T cells and in a small group of hematopoietic precursor cells in the bone marrow. 013 is reactive in lymphoblastic lymphomas and acute leukemias, as well as in a variety of other hematologic malignancies. Because the distribution of 013 positivity in hematopoietic proliferations is similar to that of TdT, we hypothesized that 013 might correlate with TdT positivity. We studied 67 lymphoblastic lymphomas and acute lymphoblastic leukemias, 6 chronic myelogenous leukemias in blast crisis, a variety of acute myeloid leukemias, 5 granulocytic sarcomas, and a spectrum of 94 diffuse lymphomas other than lymphoblastic type. With the use of heat-induced epitope retrieval and automated immunostaining, we compared the results obtained with 013 and TdT, a well-established marker of lymphoblastic lymphomas and acute lymphoblastic leukemias that can also be successfully demonstrated in tissue sections by use of a similar technique. In our study, all of the 013-positive cases were also TdT positive. 013 reacted with 44 (71%) of 62 of the TdT-positive lymphoblastic lymphomas and acute lymphoblastic leukemias cases studied. We also found 013 to be positive in one case of TdT-positive acute myeloid leukemia, in two cases of chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast crisis, and in three TdT-positive granulocytic sarcomas. 013 was negative in all of the other high-grade malignant lymphomas and in TdT-negative leukemias. With use of our technique, 013 positivity appears to be restricted to hematologic proliferations that demonstrate TdT positivity. 013 may be a helpful additional marker in the diagnosis of TdT-positive leukemias and lymphomas in conventionally processed tissue sections.