Abstract
Background: Immune cytopenia (IC) is one of the major complications in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The paper describes the peculiarities of different immune cytopenia in CLL patients and the importance of individual prognostic markers in the course of the disease. Methods: We observed 62 patients with CLL complicated by immune cytopenia. Among these patients 30 had autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA), 18 experienced immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), 10 had Fisher-Evans syndrome (FES), 3 were diagnosed with partial red cell aplasia (PRCA), and immune neutropenia (IN) was revealed in 1 patient. In addition to general examination and laboratory studies, the following examinations were performed: immunophenotyping of peripheral blood lymphocytes, flow cytometry (CD5; CD19; CD20; CD23; CD38; ZAP70), Coombs test, a molecular cytogenetic study of peripheral blood lymphocytes using the FISH method with TP53 and ATM probes, the level of ß2-microglobulin. Results: It was established that the overall survival of CLL patients with IC depends on the form of the latter. The median overall survival in patients with Fisher-Evans syndrome was the shortest (75 months), slightly better survival was observed in patients with AIHA (median 80 months), the best survival was found in patients with ITP (median not reached). Among unfavorable markers of CLL with IC, there is the presence of del 11q22.3. Unfavorable prognostic markers were also the following: a positive Coombs test, high levels of ZAP 70 expression, and high levels of ß2-microglobulin
Publisher
Danylo Halytskyi Lviv National Medical University