Analysis of immunophenotypes of 111 cases with T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia / 中国免疫学杂志

ABSTRACT

Using indirect immunofluorescent method, immunocytochemical staining (APAAP) technique and molecular hybridization, 111 cases of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) were subclassified by a panel of monoclonal antibodies against human cell surface antigens and TcR ? and JH gene probes. According to their immunophenotypes, the T-ALL could be divided into three main subtypes immature T-ALL (I, 41.5%), common thymocytic T-ALL (Ⅱ, 20.7%) and mature T-ALL (Ⅲ, 36.9%), in addition to one hybrid acute leukemia (0.9%). Among the 46 immature T-ALL, fifty percent cases expressed CD7 T-cell-associated antigen in blast surface only, so called as pre-T-ALL. Whereas 73.9% of pre-T-ALL blasts expressed cytoplasmic CD 3 (cCD3) antigen and presented TcR ? gene rearrangement. Those mentioned above confirmed their origin from T lymphoid lineage. Thus, CD7 and cCD 3 diagnostic combination provided a very sensitive assay for T-ALL, and had advantages over CD7 only. because the latter appeared on some cases with AML. Our data indicated that most of immunophenotypes in T-ALL reflected the phenotypic characters of normal thymocytes at various differentiation stages or certain rare population of lymphocytes. But a few of phenotypes had not been found normal counterparts in human thymus and bone marrow lymphoid. therefore, the heterogeneity of T-ALL was also observed.