Flow Cytometric Analysis of Monocytes and Granulocytes May Be Useful in the Distinction of Myeloid Neoplasms from Reactive Conditions: A Single Institution Experience and Literature Review.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if the immunophenotype of monocytes and granulocytes could help differentiate between reactive conditions and myeloid neoplasms.

MATERIALS: We analyzed 94 patients including acute myeloid leukemia (n=53), myelodysplastic syndrome (n=19), chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (n=13), and chronic myelogenous leukemia (n=9). Twenty-five cases of reactive condition were included as controls.

RESULTS

Myeloid neoplasm cases showed significantly altered expression patterns including overexpression of CD56, altered expression of HLA-DR, underexpression of CD14, CD64, and altered expression of CD33 when compared to controls.

CONCLUSIONS

There are significant and consistent differences in immunophenotype of monocytes and granulocytes in neoplastic groups versus controls. Immunophenotypic evaluation of monocytes and granulocytes in addition to blasts may be useful in flow cytometric assessment of minimal residual disease in myeloid neoplasms.