12th Congress of the European Hematology ... - Haematologica

cytes was 24 days (range 8-32 days), whereas median time to recover >
20 × 10 9 / L platelets was 26 days (range 12-50 days) Twelve recipients
never engrafted and recovered subsequently endogenous hematopoiesis.
The non-engraftment rate was significantly higher in patients allografted
for benign conditions (71%) than in those allografted for malignant
conditions (28%). The median overall post-transplant survival (SV) was
33 months and the 73-months overall SV was 39%. The cumulative incidence
of grade II'IV acute GVHD and grade III'IV GVHD for the entire
cohort of patients were 14% and 7%, respectively. Additional studies are
needed to define if non-myeloablative conditioning is preferable over
conventional conditioning in the case of UCB allografting.
0975
HOMOGENEOUS AND NON-HOMOGENEOUS CD138 EXPRESSION ON MYELOMA
PLASMA CELLS
M. Kraj, J. Kopec- Szlezak, U. Sokolowska, R. Poglod, B. Kruk
Institute of Haematology, WARSAW, Poland
Syndecan-1 or CD138, a molecule belonging to the heparan sulfate
family, is a marker of normal and malignant plasma cells and differentiation
antigen and play a role as a co-receptor for numerous growth factors
of myeloma cells (Baff/April, EGF). CD138 also mediates cell-cell
adhesion through heparin-binding molecules expressed by adjacent cells
in bone marrow microenvironment (Bataille et al. Haematologica 2006;
91: 1234-1240., De Voset al. Immunol Rev 2006; 210: 86-104). In the
present study the CD138 + cells were analyzed on freshly collected bone
marrow (BM) samples of 70 multiple myeloma patients (37 M 33F, median
age 62, range 38-81 yr. 8 at stage I, 17-II, 45-III acc. to D.S.; 52 had
osteolysis, 7 had hipercalcemia, 9 renal failure; monoclonal protein IgG
was in 47 patients, IgA-12, IgD -1, IgM-1, Bence Jones - 8, NS-1; mean
proportion of plasma cells in morphological analysis of BM smears was
46±22, median 46%). Controls were 10 healthy subjects. Flow cytometry
method using fluorochrome -conjugated monoclonal antibodies was
applied. Plasma cells were determined by means of CD45, CD38 and
CD138 antigens. Monoclonal antibody against CD138 FITC (Serotec)
was applied. There were performed determinations of: CD138 expression
intensity using RFI index, CD138 expression range using Cv (coefficient
variability) index, size and granularity of investigated CD138+
cells. Following findings were revealed: 1.Heterogeneity of CD138
expression of analyzed patients respecting CD138 expression intensity,
with: presence of plasma cell population showing high and homogeneous
expression (n=12), presence of plasma cell population with homogeneous
low/middle CD138 expression intensity (n=43), presence of
plasma cell population with heterogeneous CD138 expression intensity
forming two cell subpopulations: CD138 +/++ cells and CD138± cells
(n=15), 2.Occurrence of negative correlation between RFI value and Cv
magnitude (r=-0.7422, p=0.0001)., 3.Occurrence of positive correlation
between size of CD138 + cells and degree of their granularity (r=0.571,
p= 0.0001). No correlation was found between CD138 expression intensity
on plasma cells and their size (r=0.537, p=0.65), and correlation
between CD138 expression intensity and granularity of plasma cells was
close to statistical significancy (r=0.53, p= 0.058). The correlation CD138
expression with clinical picture of the disease will be determined in this
study.
0976
PRESENTING CLINICAL FEATURES, BIOLOGICAL PROFILE, IMMUNOLOGIC SUBTYPES
AND OUTCOME FOLLOWING TREATMENT IN PATIENTS WITH T-CELL ACUTE LYM-
PHOBLASTIC LEUKAEMIA
J.M. Calvo-Villas, 1 A. Molinés, 2 H. Luzardo, 3 E. Golvano, 4 J.M. Raya, 5
M. Tapia, 6 A. Lemes, 7 J. Cuesta, 8 J.M. Bosch, 4 C. Marrero, 9 T. Molero7 1 Hospital General de Lanzarote, ARRECIFE DE LANZAROTE, Spain; 2 Hospital
Materno-Infantil, LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, Spain; 3 Hospital
Universitario Doctor Negrin, LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, Spain;
4 Hospital Insular, LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, Spain; 5 Hospital Universirtario
de Canarias, SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Spain; 6 Hospital General
de La Palma, SANTA CRUZ DE LA PALMA, Spain; 7 Hospital Universitario
Doctor Negrín, LAS PALMAS DE GRAN CANARIA, Spain; 8 Complejo
Hospitalario Virgen de la Salud, TODELO, Spain; 9 Hospital Universitario
de La Candelaria, SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Spain
Background. There are few reports have analyzed the presentation features
in relation to clinical outcome following treatment for subjects
with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL). Aims. We analyzed
retrospectively the clinical and biological characteristics associated with
12 th Congress of the European Hematology Association
the outcome following treatment in patients diagnosed of T-ALL. Patients
and Methods. Forty patients from seven institutions in the area of Canary
Islands diagnosed with T-ALL, between August 1983 and November
2006, were enrolled in this study. Demographic data, clinical features
(sex; age; presence of hepatomegaly, splenomegaly, mediastinal mass,
and lymphadenopathy), haematological data; morphological and
immunophenotypic characteristics of the blast cells, and cytogenetic
abnormalities were recorded. Immunophenotypic classification of T-
ALL according to EGIL scoring system was grouped into two major categories:
1. immature T-ALL, including EGIL TI and TII cases and 2. common
thymocytic/mature T-ALL within EGIL TIII and TIV subtypes. The
assessment of response to the antileukaemia therapy and the current
status of the patients at the present time were reported. The majority of
paediatric T ALL patients received BFM-based protocols and most of
adults were treated according to PETHEMA LAL protocol of the Spanish
Society of Haematology. Ten patients underwent intensification therapy
with stem cell transplantation (four autologous and six allogenic)
after achieving complete remission (CR). Chi-square and Fisher’s exact
tests were used for statistical comparison. The survival and duration of
response was estimated using the Kaplan and Meier method and were
compared by the log-rank test. Results. The median age of patients was
24 years (range 4-62); 8 was children under 12 years; sex distribution was
32 males and 8 females; 20 subjects (50%) presented with a mediastinal
mass, 5.5% with central nervous system leukaemia and 28 patients had
lymphadenopathies as presenting manifestation. Patients’ white blood
cell counts ranged from 0.5 to 757×10 9 /L (median 33.3×10 9 /L), anaemia
(haemoglobin level