Flow cytometric detection of leukemic stem cells (LSCs) in Egyptian pediatric B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia
- نوع فایل : کتاب
- زبان : انگلیسی
- مؤلف : Manal W. El-Masry & Mervat M. Khorshied & Iman A. Shaheen & Nelly N. Abulata & Tarek A. Hashem
- چاپ و سال / کشور: 2011
Description
Identifying leukemia stem cells (LSCs) is a challenge and a critical step in understanding their respective biology and may provide insights into a more efficient treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This cohort study aimed at detecting LSCs expressing CD19, CD34, and CD38Low in the bone marrow of 20 de novo Egyptian pediatric B-ALL patients at the time of the diagnosis and after the induction of chemotherapy. LSCs were detected in 80% of cases at the time of diagnosis and in 70% of the cases after the induction of chemotherapy. Patients were followed up for 12–18 months. No statistically significance difference was encountered between LSC-positive and LSC-negative patients as regards their clinical and laboratory data at the time of diagnosis. Furthermore, there was no statistically significant difference between the percentages of LSC-positive patients before or after induction of therapy. On follow-up, two patients died; they had residual LSCs after the induction therapy. However, the existence of LSCs did not affect the patient's 1-year disease-free survival rate. LSC may resist the traditional lines of treatment applied for childhood BALL; it may be used in minimal residual disease monitoring as well as being a target for new therapeutic lines to improve the outcome of treatment especially in patients with high-risk and relapsed ALL.
Comp Clin Pathol DOI 10.1007/s00580-011-1214-7 Received: 16 December 2010 / Accepted: 9 February 2011
