The prognostic role of CD5 negativity in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: a case-control study.
B cells in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) usually express the CD5 antigen, which appears to participate in the pathogenesis of autoimmune phenomena. However, 7-20% of B-CLL patients are CD5-. The aim of this study was to assess whether CD5 expression could be used as a discriminating factor for two subgroups of B-CLL. Twenty-nine CD5- B-CLL patients were compared in terms of clinico-biological characteristics and survival with a control group of 29 sex- and age-matched, consecutive CD5+ B-CLL subjects. B-CLL was considered to be CD5- when less than 5% of mononuclear cells expressed CD5 after subtraction of the number of T cells. Splenomegaly, lymph node involvement, and haemolytic anemia were found in CD5+ patients in a significantly higher proportion than in their CD5- counterparts, who presented with an earlier stage of disease. CD5- patients had a median survival of 97.2 (22-130) months, exceeding CD5+ subjects significantly [84.0 (19-120) months, p = 0.0025]. CD5- patients seemingly present with milder disease and have a favourable prognosis compared with the vast majority of B-CLL patients who express CD5.
Efstathiou
S
S
Hematology Unit, Third University Department of Medicine, 'Sotiria' General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Tsioulos
D
D
Zacharos
I
I
Tsiakou
A
A
Mastorantonakis
S
S
Salgami
E
E
Katirtzoglou
N
N
Psarra
A
A
Roussou
P
P
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000743:Anemia, Hemolytic; D015551:Autoimmunity; D018956:CD5 Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000401:mortality; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D013163:Splenomegaly; D015996:Survival Rate
D018956:CD5 Antigens