title: The level of peripheral blood circulating CD34+ cells is higher in acute promyelocytic leukemia patients with adverse prognostic factors.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The increased flow cytometry enumeration of peripheral blood circulating CD34+ cells in patients with acute leukemia has been found in our previous work. In this study, we also demonstrated that acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients not only had elevated CD34+ cell count, but also had some clinical features.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty APL patients and 19 healthy volunteers were included in the study. The enumeration of circulating CD34+ cells, cytogenetic subgroup, immunophenotype analysis, and leukemic-related gene mutation detection were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Some APL patients with higher count of CD34+ cells (≤10 × 10(6)/l) usually possessed one or more poor prognostic factors (higher WBCs count, PML/RARa gene complex fusion, chemotherapy-related APL, normal karyotype/complex karyotype abnormalities, CD56/CD34 antigen positive expression, FLT3-ITD positive mutation, myelofibrosis, and marrow necrosis). A cut-off value of 10 × 10(6)/l CD34+ cells may have the power to distinguish APL patients with above adverse clinical prognostic factor from other APL subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The circulating CD34+ cell count appears to increase in some APL patients and a higher CD34+ cell count may be indicative of inferior survival and serve as an adverse biomarker for APL.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School , Nanjing 210008 , China.
authors.forename: Hui
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zeng
authors.affiliation: b First School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University , Nanjing 210029 , China.
authors.forename: Ling-Di
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School , Nanjing 210008 , China.
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School , Nanjing 210008 , China.
authors.forename: Yan-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yuan
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School , Nanjing 210008 , China.
authors.forename: Chao-Yang
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Guan
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School , Nanjing 210008 , China.
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: a Department of Hematology , Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, The Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School , Nanjing 210008 , China.
authors.forename: Qi-Guo
authors.initials: QG
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003582:Cytogenetics; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D015473:Leukemia, Promyelocytic, Acute / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor
keywords: Acute promyelocytic leukemia; Circulating CD34+ cells; Peripheral blood