CD10 AND CD34 EXPRESSION IN CHILDHOOD ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA IN MOROCCO: Clinical Relevance and Outcome

CD10 and CD34 expression in 86 Moroccan children with acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL) and the relevance to prognosis, diagnosis, and outcome during a 5-year follow-up were examined. At diagnosis, 57% of patients had CD10+ blasts, while 35% had CD34+ blasts. The CD10+ blast frequency was much higher (80%) in B-ALL than in T-ALL (20%). The frequency of CD34+ blasts was higher in B-ALL (48%) compared to T-ALL (16%). The 5-year survival curves showed that children with CD10+ B-ALL had a significantly longer survival rate than those with CD10-, as observed for T-ALL. The survival rate of B-ALL expressing CD34 was higher than that of CD34-. Thus, CD34 and CD10 expression may have prognostic value and is associated with a better clinical outcome.