The Expression and Prognostic Impact of CD95 Death Receptor and CD20, CD34 and CD44 Differentiation Markers in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

OBJECTIVE This study investigated the expression and prognostic significance of the CD95 death receptor and CD20, a B cell-lineage associated marker, along with CD34 and CD44 non-lineage associated molecules in Iranian children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). METHODS We performed immunophenotyping for expressions of the molecules in blood samples from children diagnosed with ALL by using a panel of monoclonal antibodies for flow cytometry analysis. The expression of markers was evaluated in relation to clinical and paraclinical features as well as response to treatment in the patients. Findings : CD95 showed a higher expression in T-ALL compared to B-ALL (P<0.001). Analysis of the clinical and laboratory findings at diagnosis in the group of B-ALL patients revealed an association between CD95 expression with lower white blood cell (WBC) numbers and bone marrow blasts (P<0.05). We detected a positive correlation between the expressions of CD95 and CD44 (r=0.445, P<0.01) in B-ALL patients. There was an association between CD20 expression and several poor prognostic factors that included increased extramedullary involvement (EMI) and decreased platelet numbers (P<0.008). The mean expression of CD34 in B-ALL was higher than T-ALL (P=0.004). At follow-up, complete remission duration (CRD) and survival duration did not significantly differ between patients who were positive or negative for each marker. CONCLUSION Association of the studied molecules with several prognostic factors implies the significance of CD95 molecule as favorable and CD20 as unfavorable prognostic markers for childhood ALL.