The CD14 expression in leukemia cells with multi-parameter flow cytometry

Objective To investigate the expression of CD14 in leukemia cells and to explore its significance in diagnosis and differential diagnosis for leukemia patients. Methods Blood samples from 251 leukemia cases were analyzed by CD45/SSC double parameters and multi-color flow cytometry to determine the CD14 and other leukocyte differentiation antigens.Results The CD14 positive rate was 7.5%(19/251) in 251 cases with leukemia, 16.8%(16/95) in 95 cases with AML (acute myeloid leukemia), none of the 130 cases with lymphocytic leukemia was positive for this antigen. The positive rate of CD14 in M 4 (9/14)) and M 5b (6/6) was significantly higher than that in M 2(1/30) (both P0.01) and M 5a(0/5) (P0.05;P 0.01). None of the 5 cases of M 5a reacted with the standard CD14 McAb, but all reacted with self-made new clone CD14 McAb 2F9. The positive rate of CD15 in M 5a and M 5b was 20.0% and 100.0%, respectively (P0.05). The positive rate of CD1 1b in M 5b (100.0%) was higher than in M 2 (44.8%,P0.05). A significantly negative regression was found between CD14 and CD117 in AML (P0.05). CD15, CD11 b and HLA-DR had significantly positive regression with CD14 in AML (P 0.01). Conclusion CD14 is helpful to the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of lymphoid, myeloid and monocyte lineage involved leukemia (MLIL). CD14, CD15 and CD117 are helpful to distinguish the subtypes of M 5, and CD11b is helpful to distinguish M 2 from M 5b. Self-made McAb 2F9 is helpful to the diagnosis of M 5a and the differential diagnosis of M 2 and M 4/M 5. In addition, CD117 is helpful to the recognition of the differentiation stage of leukemic monocytes.