Flow cytometric detection of small cell lung cancer cells with aberrant CD45 expression in micrometastatic bone marrow.
A lot of hematologists are often faced with the difficulty of diagnosing bone marrow micrometastasis of carcinoma cells. We employed a new flow cytometric immunophenotyping by a combination of CD45 with three neuroendocrine markers: CD56, microtubule-associated protein-2 and synaptophysin, and successfully detected micrometastatic tumor cells in the bone marrow of a 61-year-old male patient with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), whose marrow smears never showed a distinct morphology of metastasis. It was noteworthy that these SCLC cells accompanied the aberrant expression of CD45, leukocyte common antigen known as a specific marker for hematolymphoid neoplasms, which was not detected in the tumor of primary lesion. We describe this rare case to arouse an attention that tumors of non-hematolymphoid origin can exhibit exceptional CD45-positvity in metastatic sites.
Danbara
Mikio
M
Department of Hematology, Kitasato University School of Medicine, 1-15-1, Kitasato, Sagamihara, Kanagawa 228-8555, Japan. mikduty@med.kitasato-u.ac.jp
Yoshida
Mitsugu
M
Kanoh
Yuhsaku
Y
Jiang
Shi-Xu
SX
Masuda
Noriyuki
N
Akahoshi
Tohru
T
Higashihara
Masaaki
M
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D019046:Bone Marrow Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000556:secondary; D019002:CD56 Antigen / Q000032:analysis; D018288:Carcinoma, Small Cell / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000556:secondary; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens / Q000032:analysis*; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D008875:Middle Aged; D016708:Synaptophysin / Q000032:analysis
D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019002:CD56 Antigen; D008869:Microtubule-Associated Proteins; D016708:Synaptophysin; D017493:Leukocyte Common Antigens