Utility of CD3 and CD30 in Immunophenotyping of Lymphomas Among Sudanese Patients

Background and Aims: Phenotypic analysis of lymphomas is now considered compulsory for precise classification which is the starting point for best possible patient management. The aims of this study were to investigate the frequencies of T cell (using CD3) and Hodgkin’s cell (using CD30) lymphomas in Sudan. Methods: In this retrospective study, paraffin embedded tissue blocks from 62 patients with lymphomas and three patients with benign lymph proliferative disorders were studied. Although, all of the 65 specimens were immunostained for CD3, only 30 specimens were immunostained for CD30 expression. Results: Out of the 62 cases of lymphomas, 13(21%) were cases of Hodgkin’s lymphoma and the remaining 49 (79%) were Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas. Of the 62 cases immunostained for CD3 expression, 15(24%) were identified as CD3-positive. Of the 30 cases immunostained for CD30 expression, 12(40%) were demonstrated as CD30-positive, all of them from the cases of Hodgkin’s lymphomas. Conclusion: There is high frequency of T-cell lymphomas among Sudanese lymphoma’s patients. CD30 marker has a reasonable specificity and sensitivity measures as a marker for identifying Hodgkin’s lymphomas. Studies for immunophenotyping of lymphoma with extra markers are highly recommended.