Assessment of CD44 as a Prognostic Marker In Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous marrow-based clonal group of neoplasm that affects hematopoietic cells responsible for the production of myeloid lineages. Its diagnosis and sub-classification byFAB and WHO criteria require combination of morphology, cytochemistry, cytogenetics and immunophenotyping with flowcytometry, genetic, biological and clinical features to define specific disease entities. CD44 is an adhesion molecule that is expressed on hematopoietic cells and has been implicated in the interactions between bone marrow stromal layers and hematopoietic progenitors. CD44 is overexpressed on a variety of malignant cells including all AML blasts and participates in numerous cellular processes such as cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, survival, and apoptosis. There have been a lot of previous research approaches concerning CD44 in hematological neoplasias where CD44 has three main functions: First its role as prognostic marker, second its potential role for diagnosis, and third its role as a promising therapeutic target but its role in AML is still controversed. More importantly, clinical experience indicates that CD44 is associated with poor prognosis of AML, and high CD44 levels are associated with higher relapse rates.