title: Interleukin-2 receptor alpha-chain (CD25) expression on leukaemic blasts is predictive for outcome and level of residual disease in AML.
abstract: We investigated the role of CD25 as a prognostic marker in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Seventy-two newly diagnosed patients < or =60 years were retrospectively analysed by flow cytometry for CD25 positivity of AML blasts. Patients with CD25 expression of >10%, when compared to < or =10%, had a significantly shorter overall survival (OS, p=0.0005) and relapse-free survival (RFS, p=0.005). In multivariate analysis CD25 expression is an independent adverse factor for OS and RFS. High CD25 combined with FLT3-ITD positivity resulted in the poorest OS and RFS (p=0.001 and p=0.003, respectively). CD25 expression remained prognostic within the intermediate cytogenetic risk group. In addition, after the first cycle of chemotherapy, a significantly higher MRD frequency was found in patients expressing CD25 above cut-off (p=0.003). Our results show that CD25 expression is an independent adverse prognostic marker in AML patients < or =60 and correlates with MRD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, VU University Medical Center, VU Institute for Cancer and Immunology, CCA 4.24, De Boelelaan 1117, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Terwijn
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Feller
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: van Rhenen
authors.forename: Angèle
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kelder
authors.forename: Guus
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Westra
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zweegman
authors.forename: Gert
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ossenkoppele
authors.forename: Gerrit Jan
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Schuurhuis