Cellular markers such as CD25, CD2 and CD20, found in the surface of mast cells in systemic mastocytosis (SM), could help predict outcomes in patients with SM, according to a recently published study in Research Square.
SM diagnosis requires the fulfillment of major and minor criteria. One of the four minor SM diagnostic criteria is the expression of cellular markers CD25, CD30 and CD2 detected through immunohistochemistry or flow cytometry.
Most patients with SM express CD25, CD2 and CD30, but some can lack one or more markers. Although cellular markers have been diagnostic tools of proven efficacy for decades, there is scarce research regarding their value as prognostic markers and their effect on disease progression and survival.
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To fill this gap, the study authors examined data from over 5,000 patients in the registry of the European Competence Network on Mastocytosis. The aim was to correlate the presence of cellular markers with clinical parameters such as symptoms, disease severity and survival.
The results showed that the presence of CD2 correlated with non-advanced SM, while its absence was associated with advanced disease. Furthermore, patients who expressed CD2 and CD25 lived longer than those who expressed CD25 alone.
Researchers observed that CD2-negative patients were more likely to have extramedullary compromise, such as mast cell infiltration in the liver, spleen and lymph nodes.
The authors did not find any significant correlation between CD30 and any clinical parameter.
“In conclusion, the expression of CD2, CD25 and/or CD30…serves not only as a minor diagnostic SM criterion, but some of these markers, especially CD2, may also be of prognostic relevance,” the authors wrote.” In fact, lack of expression of CD2 in MC was associated with advSM, extramedullary disease spread, 605 and a poor prognosis.”
