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Immunohistochemical detection of hairy cell leukemia in paraffin sections using a highly effective CD103 rabbit
Elizabeth A Morgan1, Hongbo Yu, Jack L Pinkus
1Department of Pathology, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
Insights
CD103 antibody detection in paraffin sections is a new diagnostic tool for hairy cell leukemia (HCL). This method accurately identifies HCL and HCL-variant, distinguishing them from other B-cell lymphomas.
Area of Science:
- Hematology
- Immunohistochemistry
- Oncology
Background:
- Integrin subunit CD103 is crucial for diagnosing hairy cell leukemia (HCL).
- Current detection methods include flow cytometry (FC) and frozen section immunohistochemistry (IHC).
- A need exists for reliable CD103 detection in routinely processed tissue samples.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a CD103 antibody for identifying HCL and HCL-variant in paraffin-embedded tissues.
- To assess the specificity of CD103 staining in differentiating HCL from other B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders.
Main Methods:
- Immunoperoxidase technique applied to paraffin sections of formalin- or Bouin solution-fixed specimens.
- Analysis of 68 HCL and HCL-variant cases.
- Comparison with 102 cases of other B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders (CLL/SLL, MCL, LPL, FL, MZL).
Main Results:
- Successful identification of HCL and HCL-variant using CD103 antibody in paraffin sections.
- CD103 staining showed a predominantly membranous pattern with cytoplasmic projections in HCL.
- Lymphoid cells in other B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders were nonreactive for CD103.
Conclusions:
- CD103 antibody is a valuable addition to the IHC panel for diagnosing HCL in paraffin sections.
- This method is particularly useful in cases where FC analysis is unavailable.
- CD103 IHC aids in distinguishing HCL from morphologically similar B-cell lymphomas.
Abstract:
Detection of the integrin subunit CD103 is a useful diagnostic tool in the diagnosis of hairy cell leukemia (HCL). Currently, flow cytometric analysis (FC) and frozen section immunohistochemistry (IHC) represent the only available methods of detection. This study is the first to describe the successful use of a CD103 antibody to identify HCL and HCL-variant in paraffin sections of formalin- or Bouin solution- fixed specimens (n = 68) using an immunoperoxidase technique. In other B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders that morphologically may resemble HCL, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia/small lymphocytic lymphoma (n = 32), mantle cell lymphoma (n = 23), lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (n = 27), follicular lymphoma (n = 7), and marginal zone lymphoma (n = 13), lymphoid cells are nonreactive for CD103. In HCL, the CD103 staining pattern is predominantly membranous with delineation of delicate cytoplasmic projections. This CD103 antibody is an extremely valuable addition to the IHC panel for the diagnosis of HCL, especially in cases lacking FC analysis.
