Flow cytometric detection of small cell lung cancer cells with aberrant CD45 expression in micrometastatic bone marrow

Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2009 Nov;39(11):771-5. doi: 10.1093/jjco/hyp088. Epub 2009 Aug 12.

Abstract

A lot of hematologists are often faced with the difficulty of diagnosing bone marrow micrometastasis of carcinoma cells. We employed a new flow cytometric immunophenotyping by a combination of CD45 with three neuroendocrine markers: CD56, microtubule-associated protein-2 and synaptophysin, and successfully detected micrometastatic tumor cells in the bone marrow of a 61-year-old male patient with small cell lung cancer (SCLC), whose marrow smears never showed a distinct morphology of metastasis. It was noteworthy that these SCLC cells accompanied the aberrant expression of CD45, leukocyte common antigen known as a specific marker for hematolymphoid neoplasms, which was not detected in the tumor of primary lesion. We describe this rare case to arouse an attention that tumors of non-hematolymphoid origin can exhibit exceptional CD45-positvity in metastatic sites.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Biomarkers, Tumor / analysis*
  • Bone Marrow Neoplasms / chemistry
  • Bone Marrow Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Bone Marrow Neoplasms / secondary
  • CD56 Antigen / analysis
  • Carcinoma, Small Cell / chemistry
  • Carcinoma, Small Cell / diagnosis*
  • Carcinoma, Small Cell / immunology*
  • Carcinoma, Small Cell / secondary
  • Flow Cytometry*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Leukocyte Common Antigens / analysis*
  • Lung Neoplasms / chemistry
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Lung Neoplasms / immunology*
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins / analysis
  • Middle Aged
  • Synaptophysin / analysis

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • CD56 Antigen
  • Microtubule-Associated Proteins
  • Synaptophysin
  • Leukocyte Common Antigens