The clinical significance of ZAP-70 and CD38 expression in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.
BACKGROUND
B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (B-CLL) is a disease with a highly variable clinical course; some patients never need treatment, while others require intensive treatment early after diagnosis. Recently, some new prognostic factors, such as IgVH mutational status, ZAP-70 and the expression of CD38 in leukaemic cells were introduced to identify attenuated versus progressive types of CLL bearing the potential to facilitate risk-adapted treatment strategies.


METHODS
To evaluate the clinical value of ZAP-70 and CD38 as predictors of disease progression we assessed the expression of these markers by the flow cytometry method in 156 B-CLL patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Both ZAP-70 and CD38 expression were shown to predict the clinical course of the disease, while ZAP-70 expression appeared to be more predictive than CD38 expression and more relevant in defining the cases of B-CLL responsive or refractory to first line chemotherapy. A simultaneous evaluation of ZAP-70 and CD38 expression allowed distinguishing the patients groups with the most favourable prognosis as well as those with the worst. Taken together we recommend assessing both ZAP-70 and CD38 protein expression for the definition of prognostic subgroups in patients with B-CLL.
Hus
I
I
Department of Haemato-oncology, Medical University of Lublin, Poland. iwohus@wp.pl
Podhorecka
M
M
Bojarska-Junak
A
A
Roliński
J
J
Schmitt
M
M
Sieklucka
M
M
Wasik-Szczepanek
E
E
Dmoszyńska
A
A
D051997:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1 / Q000378:metabolism*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000378:metabolism*; D008875:Middle Aged; D051746:ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase / Q000378:metabolism*
D051746:ZAP-70 Protein-Tyrosine Kinase; D051997:ADP-ribosyl Cyclase 1