Study of Clusters of Differentiation and its Uses by Flow Cytometry in Diagnosis of Daematological Disorders

the diagnosis of haematological malignancies requires a multiparametric approach in order to apply risk-adapted therapeutic protocols and appreciate the potential outcome of any given patient. Blast cells immunophenotyping is a key test in this issue, yet the information provided by immunophenotyping has become staggering, and it may be difficult to identify relevant characteristics clearly.Immunophenotyping allows an early confirmation of haematological malinancies diagnosis and establishes lineage assignment. Adequate and comprehensive panels of monoclonal antibodies also allow detection of aberrant immunophenotypic profiles of prognostic value or of use in detecting minimal residual disease. A number of unusual immunophenotypic features are also associated with prognosis. The development of new antibodies, new insights in the functional properties of differentiation antigens, and the quantimetric approach of immunophenotyping will keep this field changing. Moreover, as therapeutic protocols evolve, some earlier results need to be reconsidered.Immunophenotyping, together with cytologic, karyotypic and molecular approaches, retains a crucial place in the diagnosis and management of haematological disorders. It remains a rather specialized approach and should be interpreted in a multidisciplinary perspective, considering for each patient the idiosyncrasies possibly relevant to prognosis.