engleski

B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia with aberrant expression of CD8 antigen

SUMMARY - OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe an unusual phenotype in otherwise typical B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and confirm its belonging to the neoplastic cell clone. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Peripheral blood (PB) samples of 140 patients (91F/49 M, median age 61.0 years) with B-CLL were analysed by flow cytometry method (FCM). RESULTS: Immunophenotypic profile of the PB cells was consistent with the diagnosis of B-CLL: the predominancy of the CD19 and CD20 positive B-cells together with the coexpression of CD23 was found. Most of B-cells were CD5 positive with weak fluorescence of the surface immunoglobulines of mostly kappa type. After three months succesful high dose chlorambucil treatment remarkable decrease of CD8 positive B-cells (CD8+/CD19+) as well as CD5-positive B-cells (CD5+/CD20+) was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The expression of CD8 was always present on T-lymphocytes, only in one case of B-CLL aberrant and strong expression of CD8 on B-cells was found. This study shows that the expression of surface antigen CD8 on B-cells in B-CLL is a distinctly rare event and its significance still remains unknown.

B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia; FCM; aberrant expression; CD8 antigen

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