title: Prognostic value of lipoprotein lipase expression among egyptian B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is a heterogeneous disease with a highly variable clinical course. Some patients may survive for years without need for therapy while others, although they had early treatment, the outcome is unsatisfactory. The motive to find more reliable prognostic factors apart from stage, age, tumor volume and immunoglobulin heavy chain mutations is of clinical interest.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was carried out on 25 CLL patients attending Hematology Clinic at Ain Shams University Hospitals. Peripheral blood sample was taken from each patient for surface CD38 and cytoplasmic zeta-chain-associated protein tyrosine kinase (ZAP-70) by flow cytometry and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) expression by real time PCR.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We demonstrated statistically significant association between high level of LPL expression and significantly high LDH level, poor cytogenetic risk, ZAP- 70 expression and response to therapy (p=0.01, 0.02, 0.04 and 0.001 respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  LPL expression can serve as a new surrogate prognostic factor for CLL patients and can be used to detect patients who need early treatment.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Lipoprotein lipase - ZAP-70 - Chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
authors.affiliation: The Departments of Clinical Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University.
authors.forename: Abeer Attia
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Saad
authors.forename: Dina
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: El-Shennawy
authors.forename: Rehab S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: El-Hagracy
authors.forename: Amira Ibrahim
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Hamed
authors.forename: Mervat Abd-El Hamid
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: El-Feky
authors.forename: Mona A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ismail