Expression Of Lymphoid-Associated Cell-Surface Antigens By Childhood Acute Myeloid-Leukemia Cells Lacks Prognostic-Significance

The prognostic significance of cell surface antigens associ- ated with lymphoid and myeloid lineage differentiation on the blasts of children with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was evaluated. Leukemic blasts from 176 patients enrolled on Childrens Cancer Study Group Protocol 213 determined to have AML by standard morphologic and cytochemical crite- ria were immunophenotyped. Cell surface antigens associ- ated with myeloid differentiation were found on blasts from 88.1% of patients (CD15, 44%; CD33, 65%; CD36, 53%; glycoprotein Ib, 9.3%). However, blasts from 30.7% of pa- tients expressed surface antigens thought to be specific for lymphoid lineage differentiation (CD2, 9.4%; CD5, 2.7%; CD19,34.5%; CD20,0.8%). In addition, CD34. a glycoprotein found on immature cells of both myeloid and lymphoid lineages, was expressed on the blast cells of 48.2% of