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Flow cytometric analysis of lymphomas: current status and usefulness
1Pathology & Laboratory Research Medical Center, Kansas City, MO, USA. zkaleem@hotmail.com
Insights
Flow cytometry is a valuable tool for diagnosing and classifying non-Hodgkin lymphoma, offering advantages over immunohistochemistry. Its applications continue to expand, promising future roles in molecular diagnostics.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Oncology
- Immunology
Background:
- Immunophenotyping is crucial for non-Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis and classification.
- Flow cytometry is a preferred method in many laboratories for this purpose.
- Its utility extends beyond initial diagnosis and classification.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and evaluate the current applications of flow cytometry in non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
- To compare flow cytometry with immunohistochemistry.
- To discuss potential future uses in the molecular diagnostic era.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of peer-reviewed articles (1980-2005) using PubMed.
- Inclusion of data from books and author's personal experience.
- Selection based on adequate methodology, statistically significant results, and clinical follow-up.
Main Results:
- Flow cytometry aids in rapid diagnosis, classification, staging, and minimal residual disease detection.
- It is advantageous for multiparameter single-cell analysis and T-cell clonality detection.
- Applications include prognostic marker evaluation and detection of therapeutic targets.
Conclusions:
- Flow cytometry is widely used for evaluating surface, cytoplasmic, and nuclear antigens in lymphoma.
- It offers distinct advantages over immunohistochemistry.
- Future applications in the molecular era are anticipated.
Context:
Immunophenotyping has become a routine practice in the diagnosis and classification of most cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and flow cytometry is often the method of choice in many laboratories. The role that flow cytometry plays, however, extends beyond just diagnosis and classification.
Objective:
To review and evaluate the current roles of flow cytometry in non-Hodgkin lymphoma, to compare it with immunohistochemistry, and to discuss its potential future applications in the molecular diagnostic era.
Data Sources:
The information contained herein is derived from peer-reviewed articles on the subject published in the English-language medical literature during the years 1980 to 2005 that were identified using PubMed (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi, 1980-2005) search, various books and other sources on flow cytometry, and the author's personal experience of more than 10 years with flow cytometric analysis of lymphomas and leukemia using Becton-Dickinson (San Jose, Calif) and Beckman-Coulter (Miami, Fla) flow cytometers.
Study Selection:
Studies were selected based on adequate material and methods, statistically significant results, and adequate clinical follow-up.
Data Extraction:
The data from various sources were compared when the methods used were the same or similar and appropriate controls were included. Most of the studies employed 2-color, 3-color, or 4-color flow cytometers with antibodies from Becton-Dickinson, Beckman-Coulter, or DakoCytomation (Carpinteria, Calif). Results were evaluated from studies utilizing the same or similar techniques and flow cytometers. Only objective data analyses from relevant and useful publications were included for reporting and discussion.
Data Synthesis:
Flow cytometry serves a variety of roles in the field of lymphoma/leukemia including rapid diagnosis, proper classification, staging, minimal residual disease detection, central nervous system lymphoma detection, evaluation of prognostic markers, detection of target molecules for therapies, ploidy analysis of lymphoma cell DNA, and evaluation of multidrug-resistance markers. It offers many advantages in comparison to immunohistochemistry for the same roles and provides uses that are either not possible or not preferable by immunohistochemistry such as multiparameter evaluation of single cells and detection of clonality in T cells.
Conclusions:
By virtue of its ability to evaluate not only surface but also cytoplasmic and nuclear antigens, flow cytometry continues to enjoy widespread use in various capacities in lymphoma evaluation and treatment. Additional roles for flow cytometry are likely to be invented in the future and should provide distinctive uses in the molecular era.
