title: Absolute CD3+ CD158k+ lymphocyte count is reliable and more sensitive than cytomorphology to evaluate blood tumour burden in Sézary syndrome.
abstract: Background CD158k/KIR3DL2 is a specific marker for Sézary cells which can be used to diagnose Sézary syndrome (SS) in erythrodermic patients with abnormal circulating T cells. Objectives To evaluate the suitability of CD158k/KIR3DL2 for detecting and evaluating blood tumour load during the follow up of patients with SS. Methods The absolute CD3+ CD158k+ lymphocyte count was compared with the absolute count of cytomorphological Sézary cells and was correlated with clinical flares in a cohort of patients with SS. Twenty-five patients were included in the study and 48 blood samples were analysed. Results The absolute count of CD3+ CD158k+ cells strongly correlated with the absolute count of atypical circulating cells (r = 0.97, P < 10(-15)). The CD3+ CD158k+ lymphocyte cell count was in eight cases more sensitive than cytomorphology for detecting atypical circulating cells especially for small-sized tumour cells. The tumour burden evaluated by CD3+ CD158k+ immunostaining was significantly associated with clinical flare (P < 10(-4)). Conclusions CD3+ CD158k+ phenotyping is a reliable and objective test to monitor the blood tumour burden in patients with SS under systemic therapy.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U976, Skin Research Centre, Saint Louis Hospital, 1 avenue Claude Vellefaux, 75475 Paris, France. jean-david.bouaziz@hmn.aphp.fr
authors.forename: J-D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Bouaziz
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Remtoula
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bensussan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marie-Cardine
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bagot
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood*; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D018655:Lymphocyte Count; D016131:Lymphocyte Subsets; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D054347:Receptors, KIR3DL2 / Q000097:blood*; D012751:Sezary Syndrome / Q000097:blood* / Q000276:immunology; D047368:Tumor Burden
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D017252:CD3 Complex; D054347:Receptors, KIR3DL2