Flow cytometric detection of leukemic blasts in Libyan pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Abdulrhman S Elbnnani1, Mohamed Elbasir1, Salah Altabal1
1Department of Human Cells and Tissues, Libyan Biotechnology Research Center, Tripoli, Libya.
Insights
Flow cytometry accurately diagnosed childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in Libya. Pro-B ALL was the most common subtype, with a higher T-ALL frequency observed in this pediatric cohort.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Immunophenotyping
- Hematologic Malignancies
Background:
- Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer.
- Flow cytometry has improved the accuracy of ALL diagnosis.
- Limited immunophenotypic data exists for pediatric ALL patients in Libya.
Purpose of the Study:
- To immunophenotype leukemic cells in Libyan pediatric ALL patients using flow cytometry.
- To characterize the subtypes of ALL in this cohort.
- To establish a baseline for future research correlating immunophenotype with treatment outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Recruited 152 newly diagnosed pediatric ALL patients from Tripoli Medical Center.
- Utilized four-color flow cytometry to analyze 23 surface and cytoplasmic antigen markers.
- Examined peripheral blood and bone marrow samples for morphological and immunophenotypic analysis.
Main Results:
- Identified 88 cases (57.9%) of B-ALL and 58 cases (38.1%) of T-ALL.
- Pro-B ALL was the most frequent subtype (44.7% CD10-positive, 5.2% CD10-negative).
- Observed a higher frequency of T-ALL compared to previous studies and noted 6 cases (3.9%) of biphenotypic acute leukemia.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first comprehensive immunophenotypic data for pediatric ALL in Libya.
- Pro-B ALL is the predominant subtype, and T-ALL shows increased prevalence.
- Findings lay the groundwork for future studies linking immunophenotype, genetics, and treatment response in ALL.
Abstract:
The diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which is the most common type of cancer in children, has become more accurate with the use of flow cytometry. Here, this technology was used to immunophenotype leukemic cells in peripheral blood samples from Libyan pediatric ALL patients. We recruited 152 newly diagnosed patients at Tripoli Medical Center (Tripoli, Libya) by morphological examination of blood and bone marrow. Twenty-three surface and cytoplasmic antigen markers were used to characterize B and T cells in circulating blood cells by four-color flow cytometry. Six children (3.9%) turned out to have biphenotypic acute leukemia, 88 (57.9%) had B ALL, and 58 (38.1%) had T ALL. There were 68 cases of pro-B ALL CD10-positive (44.7%), 8 cases of pro-B ALL CD10-negative (5.2%), 6 cases of pre-B ALL (3.9%), and 6 of mature-B ALL (3.9%). CD13 was the most commonly expressed myeloid antigen in ALL. We present immunophenotypic data for the first time describing ALL cases in Libya. The reported results indicate that the most common subtype was pro-B ALL, and the frequency of T-ALL subtype was higher compared to previous studies. Six cases were positive for both myeloid and B lymphoid markers. Our findings may provide the basis for future studies to correlate immunophenotypic profile and genetic characteristics with treatment response among ALL patients.
More Related Videos
09:57Comprehensive Protocol to Sample and Process Bone Marrow for Measuring Measurable Residual Disease and Leukemic Stem Cells in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Published on: March 5, 2018
06:41Author Spotlight: Identification and Isolation of Quiescent Leukemia Stem Cells from Zebrafish T-ALL
Published on: July 19, 2024
