Immunophenotypic significance of the "lymphoid" CD38 antigen in myeloid blood malignancies.

In 72 patients with blood malignancies (leukemias), the expression and distribution of the "B-lineage" antigen CD38, was analyzed, individually and in combination with CD19, CD10, HLA-DR, CD13, CD14, CD33, CDw65, CD2 and CD7. The expression of CD38 on the surface of leukemic cells was totally different from its expression on normal hematopoietic cells. Its positivity in myeloid malignancies was as follows: In patients with acute myeloid leukemia in 21/28 cases-75% (probability of expression 0.68 +/- 0.2, p < 0.05) and in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in 4/6 cases-66%. In lymphoproliferative malignancies the CD38 antigen was expressed as follows: In patients with acute non-T lymphoblastic leukemia in 12/16 cases-75% (probability of expression 0.7 +/- 0.2, p < 0.05) and in patients with chronic B lymphocytic leukemia in 6/8 cases-75%. CD38 was also found positive in patients with acute mixed lineage leukemia.