Current Status of Flow Cytometric Immunophenotyping of Hematolymphoid Neoplasms in Korea

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Immunology
• Clinical Pathology

Background:

• Flow cytometric immunophenotyping of hematolymphoid neoplasms (FCI-HLN) is vital for diagnosing, classifying, and monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD).
• Current FCI-HLN practices often rely on in-house protocols, leading to a need for standardization.
• This study addresses the need for standardization by surveying current FCI-HLN practices in Korea.

Purpose of the Study:

• To survey the current status of FCI-HLN in Korea.
• To gather fundamental data for improving the quality and standardization of FCI-HLN.
• To identify areas of heterogeneity in FCI-HLN protocols.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted among eight university hospitals in Korea that perform FCI-HLN.
• A questionnaire was used to gather information on test items, reagents, fluorophores, sample and reagent amounts, cell acquisition numbers, isotype control usage, and reporting criteria.
• Data on panel usage for various hematolymphoid neoplasms and MRD were analyzed.

Main Results:

• Most participating hospitals utilize panels for acute and chronic hematolymphoid neoplasms, plasma cell neoplasms, and MRD.
• Significant heterogeneity was observed in the number of antibodies used (up to 32 for acute HLN), fluorophores (4-10), sample amounts, reagent amounts, and acquisition cell numbers.
• Most hospitals used a 20% positive criterion, with variations in isotype control usage and reporting of limit of detection/quantification for MRD.

Conclusions:

• This is the first comprehensive study detailing the current state of FCI-HLN in Korea.
• The findings highlight considerable heterogeneity and complexity in FCI-HLN practices across Korean hospitals.
• Urgent need for standardization of FCI-HLN is emphasized, with the study providing a basis for developing standard guidelines.