title: A rapid, simple method for leukemia immunophenotyping using air-dried blood and bone marrow smears.
abstract: This paper describes a modification of the peroxidase technique by which immunophenotyping may be carried out on routinely air-dried blood and bone marrow (BM) smears. The method is simple and quick, requires no special equipment, can be performed on fresh or stored specimens and gives a standard of morphological detail equal to that of routine blood films. With a monoclonal anti-HLA-DR antibody as a prototype, it was possible to demonstrate reliably, the presence of positively and negatively stained cells of appropriate morphological types in the peripheral blood of leukemia patients. Although only about one-third of antibodies tested were effective with the technique, we identified monoclonal antibodies capable of demonstrating myelomonocyte, granulocyte, monocyte, pan-leukocyte, transferrin, platelet, pan-T, 'cALLA plus B cell' and other antigens. However, we have not yet found antibodies able to identify T cell subsets, nor to distinguish 'common' acute lymphoblastic leukemia from its rare B-cell counterpart. With these limitations the method is suitable for routine use alongside cytochemistry in the differential diagnosis of leukemias and lymphomas.
mesh_terms: D001773:Blood Cells / Q000276:immunology*; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000276:immunology*; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006681:HLA-D Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007938:Leukemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000276:immunology; D010641:Phenotype
chemical_list: D006681:HLA-D Antigens; D006684:HLA-DR Antigens