Am J Clin Pathol. 2006 Feb;125(2):251-9.
Immunophenotypic variations in hairy cell
leukemia.
Chen YH, Tallman MS, Goolsby C, Peterson L.
Department of Pathology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University,
Chicago, IL 60611, USA.
Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) exhibits a characteristic immunophenotypic profile
that is strongly positive for pan-B-cell markers; positive for CD103, CD11c. and
CD25; and usually negative for CD5, CD10, and CD23. We evaluated 35 HCL cases
and identified atypical immunophenotypes in 12 cases (34%), including CD103- in
2 (6%), CD25- in 1 (3%), CD10+ in 5 (14%), and CD23+ in 6 (17%) cases. Among
these cases one was CD103-/CD10+ and one was CD10+/CD23+. All available
specimens from the 12 cases were reviewed and showed morphologic features
characteristic for HCL. The initial clinical information was reviewed and showed
no significant differences with that reported for typical HCL. Of the 12 cases,
11 patients received purine analogue therapy and achieved complete remissions.
Our study indicates that it is not uncommon for HCL to display an unusual
immunophenotype, including negativity for CD103 or CD25. Recognizing the
variability of immunophenotype and correlating with morphologic and clinical
features are essential for establishing an accurate diagnosis of HCL.
PMID: 16393677 [PubMed - in process]