title: Immunophenotype changes and loss of CD52 expression in two patients with relapsed T-cell prolymphocytic leukaemia.
abstract: T-cell prolymphocytic leukaemia (T-PLL) is an aggressive disease often resistant to conventional chemotherapy. Long lasting remissions with the monoclonal antibody CAMPATH-1H (anti-CD52) have been documented. We describe two unusual T-PLL patients treated successfully first with CAMPATH-1H in whom, at the time of relapse, the cells underwent a phenotypic switch with loss of CD52 expression. In one of them, cytogenetic analysis demonstrated the same chromosome abnormalities in the cells at diagnosis and relapse. The reasons for the immunophenotypic changes are unknown but it is likely that loss of CD52 antigen expression contributed to the resistance to CAMPATH-1H in one of the patients when re-treated.
authors.affiliation: Academic Department of Haematology and Cytogenetics, The Royal Marsden NHS Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tuset
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Matutes
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Brito-Babapulle
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morilla
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Catovsky
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015703:Antigens, CD / Q000032:analysis*; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000074301:CD52 Antigen; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D015463:Leukemia, Prolymphocytic / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012008:Recurrence
chemical_list: D015703:Antigens, CD; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D000074301:CD52 Antigen; C000613862:CD52 protein, human; D006023:Glycoproteins