Detection of minimal residual disease in adult acute myeloid leukemia via CD25
Abstract Background We detected the expression of CD25 in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to value whether CD25 could be a promising marker for minimal residual disease (MRD). Methods Two hundred and twenty bone marrow (BM) specimens from 98 adult patients with AML after chemotherapy were detected using flow cytometry. The expression of CD25 was compared between MRD positive and negative subgroups. Results About 38% of patients with MRD were positive for CD25. The mean percentage of CD25-positive cell subpopulation was 58.68% relative to the whole MRD cluster (0.05%-100%). The mean fluorescence index ratio (MFIR) of CD25 in these cell subpopulations was approximately13-fold greater than that in normal myeloblasts. The detection sensitivity of CD25 was as high as 10 -4 . CD25 was also expressed on non-leukemic stem cells that were positive for CD34 and CD38. Conclusion CD25, as assessed by flow cytometry, is a promising marker for MRD in patients with AML.