ISSN 2997-1036
International Journal of Hematology | Vol. 8, No. 5, May 2017 | pp. 33–40
DOI: 10.46882/2017/IJH/000089
Original Article
Title: Immunophenotypic profile and differentiation of mantle cell lymphoma from chronic lymphocytic leukemia using a concise flow cytometry panel
Names of Authors: W. A. Adebayo¹, X. Y. Emeka², Z. Z. Salami³
Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Haematology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; ²Department of Haematology, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Calabar, Nigeria; ³Department of Pathology, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria
Abstract: Mantle cell lymphoma frequently presents with peripheral blood and bone marrow involvement, clinically mimicking chronic lymphocytic leukemia due to shared CD5 expression. This prospective study characterized surface antigen expressions using a concise multi-color flow cytometry panel (CD5, CD19, CD20, CD23, and FMC7) in 48 adult patients presenting with persistent absolute lymphocytosis. Mantle cell lymphoma was confirmed histologically and via t(11;14) CCND1 translocation screens in 14 cases, while 34 were diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Flow cytometric analysis revealed that all 14 mantle cell lymphoma patients demonstrated strong surface CD20 expression, bright FMC7 expression, and a complete absence of CD23 markers. In contrast, chronic lymphocytic leukemia cases showed uniform CD23 positivity and dim CD20 expression (P < 0.001). A Matutes immunophenotypic score of 1 or 2 was highly characteristic of mantle cell lymphoma, separating it from leukemia variants (score ≥ 4). Utilizing this concise five-marker flow cytometry protocol provides rapid and reliable lineage separation, helping pathologists identify aggressive mantle cell expansions in low-resource environments.
Keywords: Mantle cell lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, flow cytometry, FMC7, CD23, immunophenotyping
Manuscript Timeline: Received: February 18, 2017; Revised: March 24, 2017; Accepted: April 10, 2017; Published: May 17, 2017