20% May Be Breakpoint for Positive, Negative ZAP-70 Status

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Cytometry B Clin Cytom. 2006 Aug 11;70B(4):214-217 [Epub ahead of

print]

Clinical implications of ZAP-70 expressionin chronic lymphocytic

leukemia.

Bosch F, Muntanola A, Gine E, Carrio A, Villamor N, Moreno C, Crespo

M, Montserrat E.

Department of Hematology and Laboratory of Experimental Hematology,

Institute of Hematology and Oncology, Hospital Clinic, IDIBAPS,

University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a disease with an extremely

heterogeneous prognosis. Because of this and because of the lack of a

truly effective therapy, treatment of CLL must be adapted to the

individual risk of each patient.

Over the last quarter of century, prognosis of patients with CLL has

been based on clinical features. In the last few years a number of

biological prognostic parameters have been identified. Among them,

the expression of ZAP-70 in neoplastic B lymphocytes is increasingly

being recognized as of paramount importance to predict outcome.

Patients with a low percentage (<20%) of ZAP-70 positive neoplastic B

lymphocytes have a much better prognosis that those with a higher

proportion (>20%) of ZAP-70 positive neoplastic B lymphocytes.

© 2006 International Society for Analytical Cytology.

PMID: 16906580 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]