Expression of CD_(117) in acute leukemia and its clinical significance

Objective To explore the expression of cell surface antigen CD117 in different types of acute leukemia (AL) and its significance. Methods The expression of CD117 in bone marrow or peripheral blood of 139 AL patients were detected by flow cytometry, then analyzed and compared with each other. Results There was no significant difference in expression level of CD+117 cell between acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) patients and normal control(P 0.05). The CD+117 patient rate and the expression level of CD+117 cell in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients were significantly higher than those in ALL patients and normal control(P 0.05). In AML subtypes, the expression of CD117 was the highest in M0/M1 and the lowest in M5b. Among 5 membrane antigen markers, the sensitivity of CD117 in detecting AML was lower than that of CD13 and CD33, but the specificity of CD117 was higher than the latter. The expression of CD117 in AML was significantly correlated with the expression of CD34 and HLA-DR (P 0.01), but the expression of CD117 in M3 was obviously higher than the latter. Conclusion CD117 can be used as the important immunophenotype indicator in MIC diagnosis and typing for AL patients, it has an important significance for diagnosing AML and distinguishing AML from ALL.