European Journal of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences

IMMUNOPHENOTYPIC FEATURES OF T CELL- ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA IN SUDAN

Jadallah A. Ebrahim, Abanoub A. Tanious, Ahmed G.Mirgani, Esmail T.Almahi, Khabbab I. Elshareef, Eltayeb A. Abd Elgadir, Enaam M.A.A.Hussein*, Osama Altayeb and Eman Abbass

ABSTRACT

Background: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common type of neoplastic disorder diagnosed in childhood. It is the cause of one third of all pediatric malignancies. Immunophenotyping has become extremely important not only in diagnosis and sub classification of T-ALL but also in the detection of the minimal residual disease. Immunophynotypic pattern of T-ALL in Sudanese patients have not been addressed before. This study was designed to characterize immunophenotypic patterns of T-ALL in Sudanese patients. Multiparameter flow cytometry and CD45/SSC gating were used to analyze the surface and cytoplasmic antigen expressions in 50 cases of T-ALL during the period January 2017 to April 2017 at Flowcytometry laboratory-Khartoum, Sudan. The following antigens: CD45, HLA-DR, CD34, CD1a, CD2, surface and cytoplasmic CD3, CD4, CD5, CD7 and CD8 were used. Results: All T-ALL blasts expressed CD45 with no significant differences between different T-ALL subtypes, whereas, CD34 showed different expressions. cCD3 (cytoplasmic) and sCD3 (surface) were studied among the blast population, having mean positivity of 77.7% and 19.2%, respectively in all T-ALL subtypes, collectively. CD1a was found to have higher positivity among cortical T-ALL, with mean positivity of 81.7%. No significant correlation between gender, and age to T-ALL subtype (P value = 3.75, P value = 5.38), respectively. CD5 and CD2 were mostly expressed in pre T-ALL with mean positivity of (92.8%) and (55.6%), respectively. CD5 and CD2 were not expressed in pro T-ALL and have a mean negativity of (20.1%), (7.3%); respectively. sCD3 was highly expressed in cases of mature T-ALL with mean (87.7%). Interestingly, our results revealed that cortical T-ALL is the most predominant subtype among the Sudanese patients (68%). Conclusion: In summary, we provide immunophenotype Flow cytometric pattern of T-ALL in Sudanese patients and our findings are shown to be similar to the main immunophenotypic features published in literature. In addition, the analysis of combining the patterns and intensity of antigen expression is expected to improve the diagnosis of T-ALL in Sudan.

Keywords: T subtype- acute lymphoblastic leukemia, immunophenotyping, Sudan.