CD34+ Marker As Prognostic Factor in Chronic Lymphoid Leukemia

Abstract 4591

From 2008 to date we marked all Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) with monoclonal CD34. The authors consider presence of said marker on the CLL cell membrane is a prognostic added factor to positivity for CD38 and ZAP70. CLL frequency is lower in countries with mixed races, compared with Europe and North America. In Venezuela is 5.4% (Luigi De Salvo personal communication) where I have never diagnosed a CLL case in a pure Venezuelan Indian. Similar reports are documented from Japan and China, provided racial genetics. Since 2008 to date we studied 28 patients for CLL: male 18 and female 10 with CD34-labeled. All patients presented lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and hypogammaglobulinemia. Flow cytometry revealed: HLA-Dr (33–100%), CD19 (44–100%), CD20 (28–95%), CD23 (63–100%), CD19 + CD5 (44–100%), CD23 + CD5 (28–100%) and CD19 + CD23 (28–100%) ZAP-70 (31–97%) and CD38 (12–75%). Of 28 patients studied, 21 individual CD34+ presented a variability of 10–99%. All had diffuse bone marrow infiltration, anemia and a white cell count range of 20.000–325,000/dl, with more than 80% lymphocytes of mature appearance. All patients presented discrete thrombocytopenia 70,000–120,000 plt/ml and responded well to standard treatment with Fludara + Rituximab. We believe presence of CD34 antigen on the cell membrane is an added risk factor for patients with CLL, producing an increased angiogenesis, and infiltration of organs and bone marrow by the leukemia cell. Lack of complete remission or negativity of Minimal Residual Disease may be CD34-linked.