ISSN 2997-1036
International Journal of Hematology | Vol. 3, No. 5, May 2012 | pp. 33–40
DOI: 10.46882/2012/IJH/000029
Original Article
Title: Immunophenotypic profile of chronic lymphocytic leukemia using a concise five-marker flow cytometry panel
Names of Authors: W. A. Adebayo¹, X. Y. Emeka², Z. Z. Salami³
Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Haematology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; ²Department of Haematology, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria; ³Department of Pathology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
Abstract: Flow cytometry is the gold standard for differentiating chronic lymphocytic leukemia from other mature B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. This study evaluated the diagnostic utility of a concise five-marker flow cytometry immunophenotyping panel (CD5, CD19, CD20, CD23, and Kappa/Lambda light chains) in 42 patients presenting with persistent absolute lymphocytosis (> 5.0 × 10⁹/L). Co-expression of CD5 and CD19 on clonal B-cells was identified in 78.6% (33 of 42) of the suspected cases. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia was confirmed in 28 patients based on strong CD23 expression, weak CD20 expression, and monotypic surface immunoglobulin light chain restriction (Matutes score ≥ 4). Five patients demonstrated strong CD20 expression without CD23, consistent with mantle cell lymphoma profiles. The concise immunophenotypic panel demonstrated a diagnostic sensitivity of 93.3% and a specificity of 90.0% for chronic lymphocytic leukemia confirmation. This focused flow cytometry panel offers a highly accurate and cost-effective diagnostic protocol for low-resource hematopathology laboratories.
Keywords: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia, flow cytometry, immunophenotyping, Matutes score, lymphocytosis
Manuscript Timeline: Received: February 12, 2012; Revised: March 22, 2012; Accepted: April 08, 2012; Published: May 19, 2012