title: [Terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase (TdT)-positive cells in cerebrospinal fluid of children with leukemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma: implications for the diagnosis of central nervous system leukemia].
abstract: Identification of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) positive cells in sites other than bone marrow, thymus, lymph nodes and peripheral blood is indicative of a TdT positive lymphoproliferative disease. We therefore employed both a TdT-immunofluorescence (IF) assay and conventional cytomorphology to examine the cells in 421 cerebrospinal fluid samples from 60 children with a TdT positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, at diagnosis as well as during follow-up. The results of the TdT assay were compared with those obtained by cytomorphological analysis of the same sample. The authors conclude that the TdT-IF assay is a valuable additional tool in diagnosing TdT positive central nervous system leukemia. It offers more reliable and conclusive diagnoses than cell count and cytomorphology alone, which might avoid both under- and overtreatment of the patient.
mesh_terms: D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000201:enzymology*; D002648:Child; D004253:DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid* / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology; D008858:Microscopy, Phase-Contrast; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000134:cerebrospinal fluid*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology*
chemical_list: D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D004254:DNA Nucleotidyltransferases; D004253:DNA Nucleotidylexotransferase
vernacular_title: Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) positieve cellen in de liquor cerebrospinalis van kinderen met een leukemie of non-Hodgkin lymfoom: implicaties voor de diagnose centraal zenuwstelsel leukemie.